


A Star Born in Kalos

by Jennivieve



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Ash and co show up sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-11-30 13:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 83,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennivieve/pseuds/Jennivieve
Summary: Aspiring Top Coordinator Astrid Ichinomiya is forced to move to Kalos and abandon her dream. After learning about the seemingly-similar TriPokalon competitions, she aims to become the next Kalos Queen. She has a lot to learn in order to succeed, but luckily she will have trusted friends at her side. This is her story from March-September 2016.Or, in which a star journeys across Kalos and meets people who challenge, sometimes confuse, and ultimately change her.





	1. The Girl from Fortree City

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all. This is my first time posting fanfiction in over a decade. I started writing this a year ago, in the midst of the XYZ series, which is why this fic is set in Kalos. I genuinely thank you for taking a chance on me and hope you enjoy!

_**The Girl from Fortree City** _

“Hey, hey you! Girl!”

Upon hearing the voice of a young boy just about in my ear, I braced myself for what I knew he would say next. Boys always wanted the same thing from me. I didn’t want to wait for him to speak, but he didn’t give me much of a chance to refuse him.

“Let’s battle!”

I sighed. Somehow I’d gained a reputation around here as a trainer who didn’t back down from a challenge. I honestly wanted everyone to go away at this point. But in a small town where everyone knew everyone, escaping seemed impossible.

“Fine. One-on-one.”

“That’s okay with me, as long as I get to see your rare Pokemon!”

Though I should have known his intention, I still managed to be surprised, flinching openly at his words.

“I—I have others, too, you know,” I stammered, unable to bring myself together quickly enough.

“But I wanna see the rare one everyone’s talking about!”

My starter Pokemon, one I received from my father years ago, has been the talk of the town ever since. In a town like Fortree, where there’s not much else to do other than shoot the breeze, word gets around real fast.

“I don’t agree to your terms. Now scram, kid!”

The young boy looked disappointed, but whatever. That isn’t my responsibility. He trudged off back towards the Secret Base Guild, also known as where everyone goes to hang out as there’s literally nothing to do in Fortree City. You only live here if you work at the gym, if you’re a Secret Base aficionado, or if you have some kind of weird dream of living in a tree house. Sadly, at age 13, I am not any of these things.

My name is Astrid Ichinomiya. I am 13 as mentioned previously and I became a Pokemon trainer at the age of 10. At the local gym leader Winona’s suggestion, I tried a Pokemon Contest and fell in love, so my new goal is to become a Top Coordinator. I’ve won two ribbons out of four contests so far since my debut. Unfortunately, contests don’t come to these parts all too often, and my parents won’t let me leave the city alone. It sucks when all of your peers have already gone on their sabbatical – that’s what we call a year away from school to travel the world with Pokemon – and you get to hear all about their adventures.

“Astie,” my friend Naomi said to me the other day, “which do you prefer, the mall in Lilycove City or the outdoor stalls at Slateport City?”

“Haven’t been to either,” I replied.

My friend stared at me in shock, then walked away to talk with other friends. Some friend she is. Well, Naomi was once my best friend – but since I can’t talk to her about the world, she no longer spends any time with me. Whatever.

And then, there was also the incident of four years ago…

\--

_July, four years past_

My father is an archaeologist. Though there isn’t a fossil lab here in Hoenn, many fossil researchers have come together and created their own sort of facility. Just before my tenth birthday, my father and some of his colleagues headed to another land called Kalos. Every call he made back home, he thrummed with excitement.

“Astrid, Victoria, look!” he exclaimed over the videophone one day. “Look at these fossils!” Dad held up two rocks, one curved upwards like a tiny bow; the other, long, flat, and otherwise unremarkable except that it seemed to catch the bits of sunlight shining in his office. “This one is the jaw of a Pokemon we’re calling Tyrunt,” he said, indicating the bow-like rock. “And the other is a scale from a Pokemon we’ve named Amaura.”

He shoved the rocks closer towards the camera, smiling from ear to ear, the excitement of having discovered two new – well, old – Pokemon plain on his face. My mother smiled too.

“Akira, that’s great,” she replied.

“Do you like them, Astrid?” Dad asked.

I stared at him, and then at the fossils for a moment, before finally replying, “The scale one is kind of cool. It looks pretty shiny.”

Dad nodded in response, then added quickly, “Hey, could you leave the room for a sec? I have something I need to discuss with your mother.”

I remember feeling annoyed. Why did I have to leave the room? I was almost 10 years old for crying out loud! I could handle it! But I did as he said and left.

A few weeks later, Dad returned and after a quick greeting he launched, “Astie, I know that you didn’t like when I asked you to leave the room the other day. But I have a surprise for you, to apologize for missing your big day. Happy belated birthday!”

He handed me the long, flat rock he’d shown us a few days ago. Now, under the natural sun, the rock practically glowed in the colors of the rainbow. How could a rock even do that?

“What do I do with this, Dad?” I had asked after the novelty of the shimmer wore off.

Instead of responding, he motioned for me to come outside with him. He called out his Skarmory, and we flew to another city! Fallarbor Town, the sign said. We met with one of Dad’s colleagues who glanced at the fossil and said, “Yes, I can bring this back to life for sure!”

And that’s how I got my starter Pokemon. Amaura, my father called it. A small, powder blue quadruped with a long neck and two sails glimmering rainbow at its eyes. I remember the day that we met, it walked forth on unsteady legs, made eye contact with me, and stumbled right into my arms. I knew from that moment that Amaura would be my number one partner.

Such a rare Pokemon, though, drew me unwanted attention. And as I learned, it drew attention Amaura didn’t want as well.

Since most of my classmates had also just turned 10, many were preparing for their journeys but hadn’t set out yet. As a result, everyone wanted to battle and get practice. Amaura and I worked tirelessly to fight against every opponent, and since we hadn’t learned about its species in school, we were able to best most every challenger.

But, then, came the battle that I couldn’t win. That _we_ couldn’t win.

On that day, I had entered the fifth grade classroom to an older boy’s booming voice. “Hey girl, I hear that you’re undefeated. Let’s battle!”

That was Takeo, known for being the school bully. 15 years old and not allowed to leave on his adventure, Takeo responded by violently taking on any challengers he could. And he was a big boy – very tall, very wide, and very loud.

“Get ‘em, Absol!”

 _He didn’t even give me a choice!_ , I thought. But I couldn’t back down from a challenge.

“Give it your all, Amaura!”

Amaura spun out of its Pokeball, landing on all fours. Though the air felt chilly already, Amaura’s natural coldness caused steam to form around it. A natural performer – but that wasn’t something I’d realized at the time.

“Swords Dance, Absol!”

“Use Thunder Wave!”

Though Amaura crippled the disaster Pokemon, it still managed to strengthen itself. 

“Now, Double Team!”

“Amaura, use Powder Snow!”

As Absol’s shadow copies surrounded us, my fear began to grow. Somehow, I think Amaura was able to sense my fear as well, and stumbled slightly. When I finally realized that Amaura hadn’t unleashed its attack, I managed to spurt, “What are you waiting for!?”

“Ama!” it exclaimed, realizing its mistake and firing the delicate powder towards each of the copies. But Takeo snickered.

“Too slow! Absol, Superpower!”

“Amaura, get out of the—!”

But it was already too late. The nimble white creature glided through the air, striking Amaura down. Superpower, one of the most physically powerful moves, I realized—there was no way that Amaura could stand up to that.

I watched my partner struggle to stand, and I cried, “You don’t have to do this! You can rest now.”

“Absol, use Dark Pulse!” Takeo sneered, unwilling to stop his onslaught.

Somehow, Amaura found its second wind, and without command charged directly at any of the copies of Absol it could find. It rampaged forth, clearly angry and embarrassed at how one-sided the battle had been.

“Amaura, please, stop!” I cried, running towards it. But what could a 10-year-old girl do against a creature close to her own size?

We had gained a crowd, and people watched in horror as everything continued to unfold. A teacher came out of the pack, screaming, “Astrid, call it back! Call your Pokemon back!”

I was too stunned to do anything, and apparently Takeo felt the same way. The boy stammered, “Uh, Absol, we’re out of here!”

“Sol!” it exclaimed, running away with its trainer.

“Amaura, it’s gone! Please stop!”

Amaura had made its way to the locker room, destroying everything around. All the girls screamed as the Pokemon drew nearer—

“Please, Medicham, use Force Palm.”

I turned to meet the eyes of the principal, Mr. Graves. I always wondered how anyone could have a face to match their name, but our principal always looked the way his name sounded.

The bipedal Pokemon nimbly made its way towards Amaura, and knocked it out with a well-placed Force Palm attack. As its body slumped to the ground, I ran over to cradle it in my arms. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be able to stand hugging the fossil Pokemon, as Amaura always stays freezing cold. But I didn’t know what else to do in the moment. My precious Pokemon…

Mr. Graves walked up to me, his gray hair and harshly lined face seeming even graver than usual. I worried that I would be in trouble: “Please don’t give me detention, Mr. Graves!” I think I’d even said.

He shook his head. “Miss Ichinomiya,” he began, “You aren’t in trouble. But make sure you know what your limits are. This is an important lesson in life.”

“But—!” I wanted to tell him about how Takeo didn’t give me a chance to say no, about how he was five years older and that much stronger, about how none of this was my fault!

“Just consider what I’ve said.”

He walked away. I felt even worse than if he had given me detention.

After that incident, most of the girls in my school seemed threatened by me and most of the boys just wanted to battle to see my Amaura’s rampage. That was all I was good for after that day.


	2. The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star is born.

**_The Move_ ** _  
March_

“Your father has great news, Astrid!” Mom yelled from the kitchen.

I sighed. I wished I could believe her, but the use of my legal name and of father versus dad hinted otherwise.

I trudged down the stairs, where my three Pokemon ate. Amaura, as previously mentioned; the grass-fighting nimble powerhouse Breloom; and the defensively-intense fire type Torkoal. Though I didn’t get much time outside of Fortree City, on family trips and vacations somehow I’d managed to add to my team.

“Well, I finally got my dream job,” Dad told us over dinner.

“I suppose that is good news after all,” I quipped. 

Mom gave me a look. “There’s more,” she said, avoiding my eyes.

Bristling, I turned to my dad, who looked as if he were doing everything he could to hold in his excitement. Finally, he blurted, “We’re moving to Kalos!”

“Kalos?”

I stood up, knocking over my chair. Amaura ran over from where it had been eating to keep me from falling over completely. It stood directly behind me, using its head to stand me back upright.

“What do you mean? When?” I asked nervously. As far as I knew, Kalos didn’t have any Pokemon Contests! What was I going to do about my dream?

“Next week, actually,” Dad beamed, the excitement he’d repressed up until this point coming off in waves. “We will be moving to Ambrette Town, where one of the top fossil research labs in the world is located.”

“I…” I murmured, willing something kind to come out despite everything I felt. Finally, I managed, “That’s great, Dad. I’ll be back later.”

“Astrid—”

I turned and ran out of the house, running further and further until I started to cramp up and fell to my knees. Shouldn’t run so quickly after dinner, Mom always says – but I didn’t have much of a choice this time.

“Yo, you okay?”

 _Wait. Where am I?_ I thought, standing and looking around. _Hang on, did I just hear a voice?_

I scanned the area until I finally found the source of the voice. A young boy in a bright red shirt and black capris stood above me. The thing that most caught my eye was the beanie he wore atop his head; it was completely white at the top, hugging the shape of his hair, then ended in a black sweatband. He couldn’t have been much older than me – 13 or 14, 15 at the most.

“Uh, I’ve been better.”

He adjusted his emerald green backpack before offering me a gloved hand. I looked up into his eyes – a shade of gray I had never seen before in another’s. “Right. Well, I’m—”

“Rubeus Senri of Littleroot Town,” I said, noting the Trainer Card hanging from his neck as he pulled me to my feet.

“Ah, I forgot that was there!” he shouted, blushing. “Ruby, though, please.”

“I’m…” I paused, hesitating at giving the stranger my real name.

Everyone knew who I was, at least in Fortree City, and I no longer wanted to be known only for not going on a Pokemon journey and for my Amaura’s rampage. Perhaps it was silly, but if I was going to move to another region anyway, I figured I may as well start having a new identity now.

My parents had argued over what I should be named after they witnessed a shooting star in the sky just before my mother went into labor. She wanted to give me an English name, while my father wanted to give me a Japanese name. Since I would have a Japanese last name already, they agreed to give me an English first name. But I haven’t forgotten the name he later told me he wanted to choose for me.

“Hoshiko.” Child of the stars.

Rubeus paused a minute, seeming to consider. Then he paused another minute. Then another half-minute, until he realized his pause lasted too long.

“R-right! Anyway, are you a trainer?”

I cringed. Was this all that boys wanted from me!? “Yes, but I don’t have any of my Pokemon with me.”

“Then what’s that behind you?” Rubeus asked, pointing just beyond my shoulder.

I turned to see Amaura, its eye scales glowing dark blue – sadness and worry, I realized. After nearly four years of training together, I knew its scale colorings well. It must have followed me all the way here, somewhere on the outskirts of Fortree City.

“I’ve never seen that Pokemon before!” Rubeus exclaimed, before pulling a red device out of his backpack. Was that a Pokedex? I’d never seen one in person before, though I’d heard about them. He opened it and it spoke: “There is no data.”

“This is Amaura,” I replied. “It’s a fossil Pokemon from the Kalos region.”

“Am-amaura!” it exclaimed, nodding its head.

“Well… I’d really like to battle you and Amaura! … if that’s okay, of course,” Rubeus added sheepishly.

Was this boy actually asking nicely? And giving me a choice? “Am, ama!” Amaura said, echoing my surprise. I consulted its scales – pink and red. Even without the scales, I noticed the fossil Pokemon pawing at the ground, a clear sign that it was ready for battle!

“All right, we accept your challenge, Rubeus.”

“Call me Ruby, please—”

“Amaura, give it your all!” I exclaimed, thrusting my arm and pointer finger in front of me. Amaura jumped into battle right in front of where I’d pointed. Rubeus smiled, plucking a Pokeball from his belt.

“Okay then, time to show ‘em, Marshtomp!”

The mudfish Pokemon, which I recognized as an evolved form of one of the more traditional starters for Hoenn region trainers, jumped out of its Pokeball, poised for battle.

“Ladies first,” Rubeus offered.

“Calm Mind, Amaura!”

Amaura closed its eyes, and the scales lining them lost color. I always found it helpful to meditate before the start of battle, especially after what had happened that day… 

No, I can’t start thinking about that now, I mentally scolded.

“Marshtomp, use Mud Shot!”

“Counter with Rock Throw!”

The bipedal Pokemon held its arms in the air and launched a muddy sphere towards Amaura. In response, Amaura stomped at the ground, causing rocks to fall from nearby. The rocks managed to block Marshtomp’s Mud Shot, and the attack fizzled out without connecting with Amaura.

“Very nice,” Rubeus said, seemingly to himself. “Marshtomp, prepare for Water Gun!”

“Amaura, get close!”

Where Amaura lacked in speed, it made up with defense and with grit. The fossil Pokemon charged forth, even as Marshtomp unleashed a jet of water from its mouth, and kept pushing forward. Its relaxed mind and muscles kept it from tensing, even against the powerfully gushing water. Rubeus frowned, his arms folded across his chest.

“What is she planning?” I could hear him mutter from across the field.

Finally, Amaura closed the distance between itself and the mudfish Pokemon, and I rushed to give my next command before it was too late.

“Frost Breath!”

“Marshtomp, dod—”

Marshtomp didn’t have time to dodge from such a close range, and Amaura’s icy breath froze its torso completely solid.

“Excellent, Amaura! Now, Rock Throw!”

The rocks chipped away at the ice surrounding Marshtomp – and Rubeus and I realized my mistake at about the same time.

“Marshtomp, use the weakness in the ice to break free! Mud Shot!”

Somehow, Marshtomp managed to move and shoot its attack towards Amaura. A direct hit!

“Amaura, you good to battle?”

It hesitated. I knew that Amaura still feared losing control as it did on that day almost four years ago. Rubeus took our moment of hesitation for his own advantage.

“Marshtomp, Water Gun!”

“Counter with Frost Breath!”

Amaura snapped back into it, and managed to freeze the Water Gun before it could make contact. But that didn’t seem to bother Rubeus in the slightest.

“Slide on the ice bridge and get ready for Mud Shot!”

“Amaura, don’t be afraid! Let’s fight back with Frost Down!”

“What is that?” Rubeus queried. Marshtomp looked equally confused, which gave us our opening!

Amaura enveloped itself in the icy cold wind, as it slid towards Marshtomp on the frozen Water Gun bridge. As Amaura slammed into Marshtomp, I could see the realization in Rubeus’ eyes—

“You… you combined Frost Breath and Take Down, didn’t you?” 

I smiled and nodded in response, proud of my attack combination I had created for Pokemon Contests. Though it wouldn’t do me as much good now that I had to leave the Hoenn region…

Marshtomp’s growl snapped me out of my thoughts. The mudfish Pokemon struggled to its feet, and I could tell it didn’t have much left. Neither did Amaura, though, as the battle wore on it too. 

“You’re still good to go, right Amaura? Do we need another Calm Mind?”

Amaura considered this, then shook its head.

“Good, let’s finish with Rock Throw!”

“No one’s finishing anything! Marshtomp, counter with Muddy Water!”

“Change to Frost Breath, quickly!”

Jets of brown water came from below Marshtomp’s feet. I’d never seen this move before – I thought it would be more like Water Gun! I wasn’t sure if Amaura could handle all that water with its Frost Breath, but somehow, the fossil Pokemon managed to freeze the water at Marshtomp’s feet. Additionally—

“Marshtomp! Can you break free?” Rubeus asked, shocked.

“Marsh! Tomp!” it exclaimed, wriggling about.

“One last Take Down, Amaura!”

Though not fast, somehow, Amaura managed to close the gap between it and Marshtomp quicker than I’d ever seen. The mudfish Pokemon fell to its knees, completely spent.

“Return Marshtomp!” Rubeus shouted, sighing but smiling. “You did great, bud,” he said to Marshtomp’s Pokeball. The boy looked over at me, then closed our gap. “You know, for not having any Pokemon with you, you did pretty well.”

I laughed. “I’m just glad that Amaura was here! That was the best battle I’ve had in a really long time.”

Rubeus flushed at the compliment, his eyes focusing intently on the ground beneath him. “I’m glad I could give you such a good battle, then!” He paused, opening and closing his mouth a few times, before finally blurting, “Hey, are you on a journey? Like are you travelling… at all?”

I sighed. “No, I’m not. In fact, I’m about to move far away from here.” I’d almost forgotten during the excitement of our battle.

“Where to?” Rubeus asked.

“The Kalos region. My dad got a job at the fossil lab down there.”

“Ah,” Rubeus replied. “That’s pretty far away, isn’t it?”

I nodded. Rubeus seemed to consider this for a moment, then said, “Listen, I’ve been wanting to go to another region for a while myself. Perhaps I can meet up with you in Kalos after I’ve tied up loose ends over here. Then we can travel together!”

I couldn’t help but laugh – even among my friends since childhood, I’d never met anyone so persistent to travel with me! “I can consider that. I don’t know if my parents would let me, though.”

“Haven’t you already been on your sabbatical journey, though? It should be okay!”

I cringed. He could not know the truth about that. I didn’t need this complete stranger judging me, too! “Uh, yeah, well, they really want me to focus on school,” I managed to say.

“Well, let me know! Here’s my number,” he said, handing me a scribble on a crumpled piece of what might have once been paper. Five… three… or was that an eight?

“Okay,” I replied. I didn’t really expect anything to come of this. Firstly, I couldn’t read the handwriting and I didn’t care enough to bring that up. Secondly, I’d just met this kid, and though he seemed like a good kid, tough battler, and competent journeying partner, I didn’t know him. Thirdly, my parents. No elaboration needed there.

“Hey, just let me know,” he repeated, “Bye now, Hoshiko.”

“Bye Rubeus,” I replied absentmindedly. I didn’t realize he’d left until I felt Amaura tugging at my shirt. It looked expectantly back towards the town, where I could see tree houses just barely poking up above the foliage of the route we were on.

“Right. Let’s get back home.”

Amaura knew where we were, as it was of clearer mind when it came chasing after me, so I followed its lead. As I opened the door to my house, both of my parents leapt up and rushed at me, gathering me in an embrace. Part of me wanted to get out of it – I was 13 years old! I didn’t need my parents hugging me just because I was gone for a few hours – but I stayed right where I was, for some reason appreciating the embrace.

“Astie, I’m so glad you made it back!” Dad exclaimed.

“Thanks for looking out, Amaura,” Mom added. Amaura straightened a little, looking very proud of itself.

“Dad…” I sighed. “I am so happy for you, and I’m sure there will be exciting new opportunities and Pokemon in the Kalos region. And in a way, we’re returning home… for Amaura, at least,” I said smiling towards the fossil Pokemon.

It smiled back, nodding enthusiastically.

And this is how the next part of my tale begins…


	3. Bienvenue en Kalos!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star begins to dream.

**_Bienvenue en Kalos!_** _  
June_

“What’s a TriPokalon?” I asked excitedly, jumping up from my chair.

It had been a few months since I’d moved to Ambrette Town, and it wasn’t so bad so far, really. The spring semester of school prepared to draw to its close, and the summer seemed closer every day.

My friend Miette, who I’d met on the very first day of school, laughed at my overenthusiasm. We sat near each other in most of our classes, and eventually got to talking. I appreciated her fun yet honest attitude and we had similar interests in training Pokemon for performance. As she formulated her answer, she slid her palms against her turquoise bell-bottom shorts, then fiddled with her orange tie. 

“You’re going to love this, Hoshiko!” she exclaimed. True to my personal word, I started telling people that my name is Hoshiko. Here, only my parents call me Astrid. “It’s kinda like a Pokemon Contest,” Miette continued, “but well… do you want to see?”

“Do I want to see!?” I exclaimed. “I want to enter! Is there one here?”

“Yes!” Miette grinned, smoothing down her short, cornflower blue hair. “The next TriPokalon is coming to Ambrette Town tomorrow!”

I thought about the contest ribbons in my room, looking older and shabbier by the day. Though I loved Pokemon Contests, it had been a while… and when I told the team about the upcoming TriPokalon, they all jumped up and danced.

“Breloom breh,” Breloom sighed, nostalgically almost.

“Right, it’s been a very long time…” I mumbled. Only Amaura looked concerned. Because of its clumsiness I had only used it in one of my Contests – and we had lost in the preliminary round.

“Sorry Amaura,” I said, “But I think that Breloom and Torkoal will be my partners in this contest.”

Amaura frowned, its scales turning blue, but it said nothing. I recalled the three of them into their Pokeballs, and we ran towards the venue where the TriPokalon would be held. As I entered through the automatic doors, a woman with boldly cobalt hair waved me over to her desk.

“You’re just in time, registration closes in five minutes,” the woman said. I sighed in relief.

“Well, I’m new in this region and I’ve never done one of these before, so I’m glad to have made it!”

“Wait… you’re a new registrant?” she asked, frowning pensively. “This is definitely gonna take longer than five minutes!”

“Wha—what?”

“Well, that’s what we’re told during training, anyway. Luckily, you’ve got Rhonda on the case,” the woman – Rhonda, apparently – continued, taking a deep breath. “Quickly, name and town of origin!”

“A—Hoshiko of Ambrette Town!”

“No last name?” Rhonda inquired, arching an eyebrow.

“Um, I—!” Last name, last name! I wanted a new identity, but I hadn’t thought that far ahead! Ichinomiya wasn’t exactly an uncommon last name, so I needed something different… “Gateaux!” I exclaimed, giving Miette’s last name. But then, I had no idea how to spell—

“Oh, you’re related to Sylvie and Helene Gateaux?” she asked, still looking slightly skeptical but lowering her eyebrow back to a resting position. I recognized those names. The owners of the Gateaux Boulangerie… Then I realized, she knew Miette’s parents and knew how to spell Gateaux! I got ready to answer, but she was already done with that point. “Date of birth?”

“July 5th,” I replied quickly. “I’m 13.”

“Have you ever competed under a different name? Not only TriPokalon, I mean. Contests, League Challenges, anything of the sort.”

I braced myself in preparation for the lie. “No, I haven’t.”

“And what Pokemon do you currently have?”

“I have a Breloom, Torkoal, and Amaura.”

Rhonda input a few more things on her computer, then rushed over to a camera. “Come here quickly and smile!”

I ran towards the blue screen and camera, gave my best smile, and waited for her to print out the badge. The picture didn’t turn out too bad, and my name, Hoshiko Gateaux, actually fit properly on the badge. Ichinomiya often got cut off at the sides—

“Right, Miss Gateaux, you are registered for tomorrow’s TriPokalon with one minute to spare!” Rhonda announced, placing a key pin with a purple gem out on in front of her. I took it and stuffed it in my backpack. The woman then stood up, reaching out her right hand to shake.

With a firm grasp, I shook, and replied, “Thank you so much for your help!”

\--

“Welcome to the Ambrette Town TriPokalon competition!”

“Man, that guy looks wild,” Miette whispered to me. I giggled. The tall blonde – he must have been at least six feet tall! – wore a large black and blue trench coat that glowed at the edges.

“I am your host, Mon~sieur Pi~erre!” he sang. His keychain – wait, was that a Pokemon!? – spun around him, adding to the bizarre show.

“Let’s get started with the first round, cake decorating!”

"Cake decorating?" I echoed, completely baffled.

“Well, your last name means “cakes,” so I suppose you’d be good at this,” Miette said sarcastically. She wouldn’t shut up about me using her last name. Interestingly, Miette didn’t ask why I’d lied about my last name. She didn’t know my actual last name. On the first day of class, I’d just told everyone that I didn’t particularly like my name and to just call me Hoshiko and not worry about the rest. But I’m sure she figured my last name probably wasn’t actually the same as hers. 

“Does this mean I finally have a big sister?” she’d asked me.

I pointed out that due to, physical appearance alone, not to mention that she had a French given name and I, a Japanese one, it wouldn’t make sense to be related as sisters. The additional small detail of being born four months apart also made it pretty impossible to be sisters, unless one of us had been adopted. She conceded this, saying I could reasonably be her cousin.

“I thought this was a contest about Pokemon? What do cakes have to do with it?”

“This isn’t a Pokemon Contest, Hosh. This is a TriPokalon.”

I stared at the blue-haired girl, and realized her attire. She wore what appeared to be a turquoise and white version of a French maid uniform, with a long apron and an orange band to keep her hair back. “You knew?”

“No, my family comes from a long line of cake masters, though, so I’m always prepared to bake and decorate a cake!” she exclaimed proudly.

What a strange legacy. 

“Let’s welcome contestants 1, 2, and 3, to the stage!” Monsieur Pierre exclaimed. Miette straightened out her apron, the number 2 affixed next to a pocket, and smirked.

“Right, watch me and learn,” she said, heading up to the stage.

“Let’s go, Slurpuff and Espurr!” she called, bringing her Pokemon out. 

The two Pokemon worked together to decorate a strawberry shortcake with grace and poise. Or I supposed. I don’t know anything about cakes! But somehow, Miette was judged the winner of her round.

“Did you see how that works?” she asked me. “It’s not just about the cake. It’s about the teamwork and grace of your Pokemon too.”

How in the hell is Torkoal supposed to decorate a cake!? I wondered. Breloom, sure, it would do pretty well. But Torkoal? And Amaura wasn’t a choice either… or maybe…!

“All right, the final three, let’s see contestants 13, 14, and 15!”

I looked down on my waist to see the number 15 stare back at me. “What?” I asked no one in particular. Did the other two rounds really go by so fast?

I stumbled out on stage in the stupid dress that Miette convinced me I should wear. Cloudless-sky blue, with white lace trim at the straps, along the bust, and at the bottom hem. A birthday present from my mom, probably. But at least Miette lent me her apron to cover most of it up.

“Breloom, Amaura, time to give it your all!” I announced, sending out the two. Breloom looked surprised to see the fossil Pokemon, whose sails quickly turned yellow with joy.

“Right, this is was different than I thought.”

“Breloom?” How so?, it seemed to ask.

“We’re decorating a cake.”

“Breh!?” it shouted.

Back in Hoenn, I was known as the Rough and Tumble Coordinator. My skills were lauded as uniquely beautiful in their aggressiveness. I’d brought out Breloom’s skills as a fighter as a result. The fighter didn’t seem too ready to place fruits on a cake.

“Right, well, I have an idea. And that’s why you’re here too, Amaura,” I told them. “I’ve been watching the other competitors, so maybe we stand a chance—!”

“And, start!” Monsieur Pierre exclaimed, having the keychain creature start a countdown.

“Okay!” I shouted. I would turn this supposedly graceful competition into a rough and tumble like my partners were used to! Surveying the fruits I had, Oran Berry seemed like a good place to start. I tossed several of the berries in the air, then, “Breloom, Sky Uppercut on the berries! Amaura, keep them from hitting the ground with a light Frost Breath!”

The mushroom Pokemon jumped as gracefully as it could in the air, then struck each of the berries in its center, causing them to split apart into beautiful slices. Amaura and Breloom worked together to make sure none of the pieces ended up on the floor.

“Right, Breloom, give me the slices!”

As I considered my next move, I placed them in a pattern around the outside edge of the cake. But this cake needed something more, something unique…

“Got it!” I threw a Pecha Berry in the air next, and commanded, “Amaura, Frost Breath! Then Breloom, I know you can handle it, jump into the Frost Breath and Sky Uppercut!”

I could hear a collective crowd gasp as Breloom jumped into the frosty swirl. That wouldn’t have surprised anyone back home who knew my style, so I was glad to finally have something to offer the people of Kalos! Since the icy breath had frozen the delicate Pecha Berry, it was able to withstand Breloom’s tough attack without falling apart.

“Amaura, could you bring the frozen berry and place it in the middle of the cake?”

Amaura positively beamed, its sails a brilliant goldenrod, as it walked slowly but deliberately back to our station and placed the sparkling, ice-covered heart-shaped berry halves straight in the center of the cake.

“Time’s up!” Monsieur Pierre exclaimed. The man consulted the judges briefly, then continued, “Our winner for this round… is the stylish yet tough contestant 15!” He paused a moment, allowing something to come through on his headset. Perhaps that’s how he knew our names, as he continued, “Hoshiko Gateaux!”

“You did it, Hosh!” Miette exclaimed, hugging me as I arrived back in the waiting room. “That was really cool, how you made a tough Pokemon like Breloom’s attack into nothing more than a slice on that frozen Pecha Berry!”

“Now, what’s next? Using Pokemon moves to clean up the kitchen?” I quipped. Miette sighed.

“Hoshiko, you’re stupid,” she said. “No, next up is something you’re more familiar with: the appeals round!”

Finally! Time to show Kalos what the famous Rough and Tumble Coordinator’s got! Before that, I watched all of the other competitors – Miette really seemed like my only competition, as the other two were nowhere near as captivating as her. In fact her Slurpuff and Espurr really gave me some competition!

“Finally, we have Hoshiko on the stage!”

“Let’s give it our all, Breloom and Torkoal!” I exclaimed. The two of them seemed excited to be in their element.

“Torkoal, use Iron Defense! And Breloom, get ready…”

The tortoise Pokemon withdrew its orange appendages into its charcoal gray shell, and waited patiently.

“… Mach Punch!”

I could sense the crowd’s confusion. I hadn’t give a command as to where Breloom should use Mach Punch… but Breloom knew.

Bam! A direct hit sent Torkoal flying, and the crowd gasped. Some people screamed. It wasn’t that scary!

“Get under it, and use Sky Uppercut!”

Breloom quickly caught up to the spinning Torkoal, and slammed it into the air. It spun up towards the ceiling, almost reaching the top. As Torkoal began its descent, I called, “Use Overheat!”

As it gained speed towards the ground, Torkoal unleashed white-hot flames from each of the openings in its shell. It managed to orient itself so that its shell spun parallel to the walls instead of the floor, which created a vortex around it. 

“Breloom, Bullet Seed!”

The mushroom Pokemon ran and leapt, crossing the flames as quickly and nimbly as possible to take the least amount of damage, and let loose glowing seeds. They became part of the vortex, causing it to glow with white light!

As Torkoal slowed down, it stopped using Overheat, and landed on the outstretched claw that Breloom provided. Breloom let it down gently, and the two bowed.

The crowd was silent a minute. Then another minute. I thought I heard someone clapping, trying to get others to join in. What was going on? These appeals always did well for me in Hoenn. What was wrong with these Kalosians?

After the shock wore off, finally applause. But it seemed more like polite applause than enthusiastic applause. Did we do something wrong?

“Hoshiko, that was an interesting appeal… but it felt very aggressive,” Miette told me afterwards. “Also, you weren’t involved at all in that.”

“What do you mean? I’m the one who created the routine and gave them the commands to execute it!”

“That sounds very robotic, the way you said it just now,” Miette scolded. “Perhaps that’s what they like in Hoenn, but you’re in Kalos now.”

And then, it dawned on me: Miette’s Pokemon had done the performance, but she was right there beside them, dancing and assisting. The other two Performers had done the same. How did I not notice that before?

Torkoal and Breloom looked down, but I couldn’t have that. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out on the stage and see what the judges have to say. If we don’t get back out there, then we haven’t given it our all!”

They managed to nod and perk up. But Miette cut me off: “You know that the audience votes, right? Not any judges.”

“What?” I asked. “How do they count all the votes?”

“You have the key that they gave you at registration yesterday, right?”

I nodded.

“Pin it to your dress and you’ll see what happens next.”

All four finalists walked out on the stage, flanked by their Pokemon. I also let Amaura out of its Pokeball, and its scales glowed purple with apprehension.

“We all did the best we could,” I tried to reassure them.

“All right, judging begin!” Monsieur Pierre called, “Raise up your wand in the color of the competitor’s key pin that you think should win!”

I glanced down at my key pin, which sparkled purple back at me. The audience suddenly became aglow with color, greens, yellows, and oranges flying across the room. Amaura gazed in wonder at the beautiful rainbow surrounding us. A few purples joined the fray, but I knew it wasn’t nearly enough.

“And the winner is…”

I looked over at the other three girls, each of them trying to hide their anticipations with badly stone faces. But I could tell, that the winner was—

“Contestant number 2, Miette Gateaux of Ambrette Town! Congratulations!”

“Miette, you did it!” I exclaimed, crossing some other girl’s path to hug the girl. “I’m so proud of you!”

“You did amazing as well,” she replied, grinning ear to ear. “This was my first win!”

Monsieur Pierre awarded Miette with a Princess Key, and announced, “The next competition will be in Coumarine City. Until next time!”

“Coumarine City…” I whispered so low so that only my Pokemon could hear. “We’ll be there. And we’ll win it!”

The three of them nodded in response, and I knew right then what I had to do next.

\--

“Miette, you totally deserved that win!”

“Thanks, Hosh.” She grinned. “If you want any tips for next time, let me know! But I’m going to be leaving soon.”

“Really?” I asked sadly.

“Yes, I’m heading towards Cyllage City, for this!” She held out a flier in front of my face.

“Poffle competition…?” I read, my confusion building. “What the hell does that mean?”

Miette looked disappointed. “You’ve never made Poffle before?”

“No?”

“Well, anyway, do you want to come with me?” she asked.

“I—” I prepared to tell her everything, about how I’d never journeyed even though I was just shy of 14, how my parents would never let me go anywhere without them, how my studies needed to come first, when I heard a crash just behind where Miette stood.

“Are you okay?” Miette asked, turning to face whoever had fallen.

“I’m fine,” came a strangely familiar voice. The boy who’d just spoken scrambled to his feet, attempting unsuccessfully to look like nothing had just happened. He looked past Miette and straight at me. “Hoshiko, do you remember me?”

I looked at the boy, considering a moment. Was I supposed to know him from somewhere? Though he did seem somewhat familiar… “No, not particularly. Did you watch the performance?”

“Yes, actually, I was there. Your Pokemon were great!” he said, grinning. His eyes met mine – they were gray…!

“Rubeus!” I exclaimed. “I remember you!”

“Ruby,” he sighed. “Yes, we battled a few months ago near Fortree—”

I placed a finger over my mouth, hushing him. Miette didn’t need to know about the hick town I was originally from. “Yeah, you had a Marshtomp, right?”

He threw a Pokeball in the air, and out came not a Marshtomp, but—

“Swampert!” it exclaimed, smiling. It seemed to remember me, too.

“Wow, your Marshtomp evolved!” I exclaimed. “It looks strong.”

“Right, do you want to battle?” he asked enthusiastically. 

I shook my head as a response, and the boy deflated a bit. “I’m tired, honestly. Would you like to catch up? Maybe grab a coffee?”

I could see Miette out of the corner of my eye, giggling and giving me a thumbs up. What was she doing…?

“Uh…” Rubeus looked away for a moment. “Sure! I’d be happy to catch up with you.”

“Well, then. Miette? Are you coming too?”

Rubeus seemed confused, then turned around. His eyes widened, almost as if he hadn’t even noticed Miette up until that point. “Oh, sorry! My name is Ruby. And you’re Miette? You were in the TriPokalon as well, right?”

“Good to meet you, and yes, I was,” Miette said.

“Oh right, you won! That was a great performance, very fun to watch.” Rubeus nodded. “Swampert and I were watching from the back row.”

“Wait, you were the one with a Swampert?” Miette asked.

“What do you mean, Miette?” I asked back.

“Well, do you remember at the end of your appeal, and the room was completely silent?” I nodded. “And did you notice that someone clapped to try and get other people to clap too?” I thought I’d imagined that, but yes, I’d noticed. “It was a boy with a Swampert. It was you, wasn’t it!” she exclaimed, pointing at Rubeus.

He blushed. “Well… you caught me! I did really like your performance, Hoshiko. Probably because I’m from Hoenn too, so I understand where you’re coming from.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Rubeus. That means a lot.”

Miette started giggling from behind me, which caught my attention. “What are—?”

“Oh, I just remembered!” Miette exclaimed suddenly, walking away from us as she continued. “I need to help my parents close up the bakery tonight. See you later, Hosh!”

“Miette! But the bakery’s already closed,” I mumbled, shaking my head. Strange girl. I turned then to address Rubeus. “Anyway, I’m assuming you’re just visiting here, so I can take you somewhere that I like, I suppose.”

Rubeus nodded, recalling Swampert to its Pokeball as he walked alongside me.

“So, what brings you to Kalos, anyway?” I asked. He seemed surprised.

“Don’t you remember? I said I was going to try and explore a new region, and I took care of everything I needed to back home,” he replied.

“Well, it’s been a few months, so frankly I’ve forgotten most of what happened that day,” I said, shrugging.

“You never called either!” he exclaimed. “I was hoping you’d let me know how things were.”

“Dude, we met one time, and I’ve had a lot going on.” Speaking of strange people… clearly I just attract them all. “But I’d be lying if I said I’d forgotten about our battle. That was a great battle.”

“Yeah, and I’ve gotten stronger from then!” he announced, pulling a case outside of an inner pocket. He opened it, revealing four medals attached to the inside.

“What are these?” I asked.

He froze.

“What do you mean, what are these? They’re gym badges!” Rubeus spluttered, staring at me. “How do you not know about gym badges? Didn’t you take the Elite Four challenge when you took your sabbatical journey?”

Right, he was from Hoenn, so he was familiar with the tradition of a sabbatical journey. Thankfully people in Kalos didn’t have that same tradition. Many trainers started their Pokemon journey at age 10 or 11, taking time off from school to do so. However, it wasn’t something ingrained in the culture, so people here never grilled me on that. One of many reasons to love Kalos over Hoenn.

“I’ve always been a coordinator,” I fibbed. Sort of. Hey, it’s kinda true!

“Plus, you’re from Fortree City, right? That’s where Winona’s gym is!”

Okay, so he had a point. But even though Winona was my mentor didn’t mean I knew anything about gyms! She only taught me about how to win at contests. 

I think Rubeus sensed that he had pursued a sensitive topic for too long, and finally said, “So where are we going now?”

I sighed a little too loudly in relief. “Over here.”

My favorite café in town, supplied with pastries from the Gateaux Boulangerie. Though that was part of the reason I was familiar with it, the reason it was my favorite is because they never failed to serve up strong coffee at all hours of the day.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Uh, whatever you’re having, I guess.”

“Coffee is a pretty personal thing, are you sure?”

Rubeus hesitated. He seemed unusually nervous for some reason. “Uh, yeah. And a chocolate croissant.”

“Find us a table, then,” I told him and made my way to the register.

“Two double shot sugar free hazelnut lattes and a chocolate croissant,” I said.

“Two, huh? Working overtime tonight?” the cashier asked. Ah yes, the perks of being a regular in a small town. “Also, something sweet isn’t like you…”

“Are you gonna sell me the drinks or what?” I snapped.

“1000 poke, please,” he responded simply.

“One thousand…!” I mumbled, pulling out the cash. 300 poke for a latte, which meant… that croissant was more than one of the lattes!

I must have looked angry when I joined Rubeus at the table, because he said, “How much was it? Do I owe you anything?”

“No,” I said, “but this better be a damn good croissant.”

He flinched, but said nothing more.

I brought us the drinks, and he took a sip of his. He looked… pained almost.

“Are you okay?”

“No, what the hell is this?” he asked. For some reason, even though I figured he was about my age, his curse surprised me.

“A double shot sugar free hazelnut latte,” I rehearsed easily.

“There’s no sugar in this?” he asked me. I rolled my eyes.

“Do you want something else? Maybe a hot chocolate is more your speed?”

He flushed. “Yeah… I’m not much of a…” he mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I said, I’m not much of a… coffee drinker.”

I just stared at him. What is wrong with this guy!? “Then why didn’t you say—”

“Because, I didn’t want you to think that I’m a weenie,” he said. It was kind of pathetic, really. I almost felt bad for him.

“Well, I certainly think that now. Go get yourself some cocoa and let’s catch up.”

When Rubeus returned, a more Rubeus-approved drink in hand, he started back up with the conversation. “Anyway, how’s life in Kalos?” he asked.

“Great,” I replied. “The Pokemon are loving it too. Dad’s close to his work and his dream, and Mom loves being right by the beach. Win-win for everyone, really.”

“Is it a win for you?” he asked.

I flinched. “Right, you asked me a question, so now it’s my turn to ask you one. Why are you in Ambrette Town?”

“Well, I arrived in Coumarine City about a month or so ago, and I’ve been journeying this way before going towards Lumiose City,” he said. “I actually wasn’t going to spend much time here at all, but I decided I wanted to watch the TriPokalon, as I’d never seen one before. That’s why I’m here.”

I thought there was something strange about what he’d said. Sure enough, I consulted the map, and… “But Lumiose City borders Coumarine City. So why would you come out all this way?”

He sighed. “I actually went to Lumiose City first, after I’d battled and won against the gym leader in Coumarine City,” he began. “But when I approached the Lumiose Gym, a robotic voice asked me how many Kalos badges I had, I said one, and it kicked me out!”

“What?” I asked, confused. “A robot?”

“A robotic voice,” Rubeus corrected. He shook his head and continued, “I went back in and told the voice that I’d gotten seven badges in Hoenn, so really I had eight badges in total, but it asked again how many Kalos badges I’d gotten. The answer was still one. So it kicked me out again.”

“You got seven badges in Hoenn?” I asked, remembering suddenly the basic requirements for entering a championship – eight badges. “So which badge didn’t you get?”

Rubeus’ gray eyes seemed to freeze over, but only for a split second, until he said, “That was your question, so if we’re still doing the turns thing… Have you done any journeying in Kalos yet?”

“No,” I answered quickly.

“Why?”

I almost pulled the “my turn to ask card,” but I figured I shouldn’t draw it out too much longer. “My parents are over-protective. So they don’t want me journeying alone here, especially since they don’t know the region well.” No lies there.

“Journeying alone, huh,” Rubeus said. Then he smiled. “Well, my offer from three months ago still stands.”

“What’s that?” I asked, struggling to remember any sort of offer.

“I asked you after we battled if you would consider journeying with me. Well, that offer’s still on the table, and it’ll solve your problem of journeying alone.”

“I…” I murmured, trying to find some way to counter what he was saying.

“If you’re wondering why I’m so insistent, it’s because I was impressed by you during our battle, too,” he admitted. “I’d never seen or even heard of Amaura before, and the way the two of you battled together really surprised me and Swampert. And seeing you in that TriPokalon just now seals the deal for me! I think there’s so much I could learn from watching you in your competitions.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his smart flattery. “I think I’d be able to learn a lot from you too, Rubeus.” Everything he said seemed reasonable. “Let me talk with my folks. You’re staying in town?”

Rubeus nodded.

“Then I’ll come by the inn tomorrow and let you know my decision.”

The boy smiled then, and stood suddenly. “It’s a deal, Hoshiko!”

\--

“I mean, I know I just met him, but he’s strong and he’s a seasoned traveller,” I insisted. The start of convincing my parents to let me go on a journey wasn’t going quite so well. My mom sighed.

“Astrid, but what about your studies?”

“Mom, I finally found something in Kalos that I’m interested in doing! Give me a chance! I’m 14 already—”

“Not for another week, you’re not,” Mom replied sternly.

“Six days!” I countered.

“You know that’s not the point, Astrid.”

I looked over at Dad, who conveniently had something else to focus on at that moment. “Dad, can you please be the tie-breaker?”

“Nope.”

“Well, then, how about a battle?” I queried. Mom looked confused. “You versus me, Mom. One on one.”

Mom smirked. “Are you underestimating your mother?”

I knew she’d agree to those terms. “No, but I think this is my best shot to prove to you that I can do this!”

“Okay! Akira, could you please be the judge?”

Dad, once again quite conveniently, was at a place where he could stop doing whatever important thing he had taken up when we’d started arguing. “Sure, I’d love to.”

We made our way to the beach battlefield, Mom’s favorite place to be. She took out her Pokeball, as did I, and we threw them in the air without a word. As the Pokemon materialized before us—

“Swanna, grace us with your presence!”

“Give it your all, Breloom!”

I’d seen Mom’s Swanna around of course, but I never realized it could battle! As a Unovan Pokemon, Swanna made an impression around town in Fortree City. Hardly anyone batted an eye in Ambrette Town, but then again, they weren’t a bunch of isolated hicks in this part of the world.

“You are at a bit of a disadvantage, dear,” Mom taunted. “Swanna, start with Wing—”

“Mach Punch!” I exclaimed above Mom’s voice.

Breloom leapt into action, slamming its fist into Swanna’s body. The bird stood, stunned, but ready for more.

“Wing Attack now that it’s close!”

“Duck!”

Breloom lay flat on the ground as Swanna flew just over it. We’d practiced things like this a hundred times for Breloom and Torkoal’s appeals, so this was nothing new. Mom seemed surprised, however, that Breloom could dodge like that.

“Sky Uppercut!”

Breloom jumped up, slamming its claw into Swanna once more. However, the bird squawked out in pain this time. 

I could sense a crowd starting to come over, but I paid them no mind. “Breloom, get ready for Bullet Seed!”

“Use Hurricane!”

Unfortunately, Breloom and I weren’t prepared for Swanna’s strong attack. The gusts of wind pushed Breloom and the seeds back. The mushroom Pokemon slammed into the sand and struggled to stand up.

“Breloom…”

“Bubblebeam!”

I realized then that Swanna’s strength was attacking from afar, and Breloom’s was in getting close up. So that’s what I needed to do…

“Breloom, don’t just take that! You can withstand Torkoal’s Overheat and Amaura’s Frost Breath, so a couple of bubbles are nothing! Bullet Seed!”

“Hurricane!” Mom commanded again. Like I would let the same thing trick me again.

“Aim your Bullet Seed towards the ground, Breloom!”

With the force of Bullet Seed against the ground, Breloom managed to launch itself above Swanna and the storm. The bird Pokemon looked shocked.

“Headbutt!”

Breloom slammed itself into Swanna, and the Pokemon cried out as it was forced to the ground. When Breloom jumped away from the cloud of dust, Swanna lay in the sand, clearly unable to fight.

“Swanna is unable to battle! Breloom is the victor!” Dad exclaimed. Was that… a hint of a smile on his face?

“We did it!” I shouted. Breloom ran up to me for a hug.

“You won, Astie,” Mom said, walking over to me and Breloom. “Your Pokemon are so powerful, I had no idea. I… I suppose you’re right. You’ve been a trainer for almost four years now, and your Pokemon certainly show it. I think your father and I still have some talking to do, but I... I’ll definitely consider it.”

“Breloom, breh!” Breloom said excitedly.

I grinned in response to Breloom’s excitement. And I couldn’t wait to tell Miette and Rubeus the news. Though Mom hadn’t said it directly, I knew what she tried to tell me just then—

I’m finally going to go on my Pokemon journey!


	4. Journey to the Center of the Region

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star meets new people and discovers new perspectives.

**_Journey to the Center of the Region_ ** _  
July_

“What do you mean, Miette left?” I snapped a little too aggressively.

Miette’s mom shook her head, seeming to understand my frustration. “I told that girl she should at least wait to see if you’d be able to go with her, but she said she’d miss the Poffle contest otherwise,” the brunette woman replied, sighing. She wiped her palms against her apron and it was suddenly clear where Miette had gotten that particular habit. “Miette is too hasty, but at least she knows what she wants.”

“Thanks, Ms. Sylvie,” I said, walking back out the door. Well, one travelling partner out, I guess.

I headed over to the only hotel in Ambrette Town. I didn’t imagine that Rubeus had waited around for me, honestly. Especially since he was almost a stranger and Miette, my friend of several months, had ditched me. But I told him I’d check in with him, so—

“Hoshiko!” I heard Rubeus call.

He ran over to me, in his standard red shirt black capris getup, his beanie crookedly perched atop his head. “Hey, so what’s the news?” he asked eagerly.

“My mom said yes, I can travel with you.”

“Really? That’s great!” he exclaimed. Swampert came up behind him and added, “Swam!”

“Well, I’m glad that you and Swampert are still here! Miette left me, already,” I mumbled, still annoyed at the girl.

“We’ll see her again. Which way did she go?”

“Towards Cyllage City.”

“Well, we’re going to have to pass that way anyway. I mean, of course, if you’re okay by starting towards Lumiose City,” Rubeus added sheepishly.

“Of course, I’m really looking forward to seeing the Prism Tower!” I said. It was true, the tower looked incredibly beautiful in pictures and had to be more so in person.

“Coming to you from the Prism Tower…”

I whipped around. How had the TV done that? We said ‘the Prism Tower’ at practically the same time! The news showed a young boy with a Pikachu, climbing up the tower—

“Is he crazy!?” Rubeus yelped, seeing what the boy was doing.

“Maybe it’s a stunt for a movie,” I offered. Rubeus shook his head.

“No, look,” he pointed out. “There’s something up there that he’s climbing towards. And that Pokemon really looks like it’s in pain…”

The camera zoomed in towards a large dragon Pokemon, its eyes wide with fury. Or was it… fear? The boy seemed to be talking to the dragon, waving his arms to emphasize a point. The Pikachu jumped down from the boy’s shoulder, working with him to get the distressed Pokemon to step away from the edge.

“Garchomp is gonna jump!” someone in the hotel lobby yelled. I looked around and realized everyone was engrossed in the broadcast. What was it that captured the hearts and minds of all these people? Could this young boy even know what impact he was having all over Kalos?

“No, don’t!” another voice exclaimed, just before the dragon Pokemon – Garchomp – stepped off of the edge. The boy, with almost no hesitation, followed it off the tower…!

“Why? He’s just going to die!” I heard myself say, tears stinging my eyes.

All of a sudden, a flash—and a Pokemon brought the boy, Pikachu, and Garchomp to safety. The entire room collectively sighed in relief, while the Pokemon that had rescued the group jumped away too quickly to see what it was.

The newscaster announced that the Garchomp belonged to Professor Sycamore. Wait… so that Garchomp wasn’t even the young trainer’s!?

“That boy could have easily died,” I gasped. “Why… why do that?”

“Well,” Rubeus began, “you noticed that he didn’t even hesitate, right?” I nodded. “He didn’t have time to think. All he could have considered is, ‘there’s a Pokemon that’s going to injure itself or even die there. What can I do to help?’ He must have a strong sense of justice.”

“A strong sense of stupid would be more accurate,” I muttered. Could I even do that for one of my own Pokemon? I don’t think I would… and certainly not for someone else’s Pokemon!

Rubeus chuckled.

“What? Would you do that?” I snapped, annoyed at his reaction.

“Probably not. It’s hard to say what one would do in that situation,” he mused. “But where you see stupid, I see admirable. I’d like to battle that kid.”

“Whatever,” I huffed, already done with watching the now pointless newscast. “Let’s go, Rubeus.”

“Swampert, return,” I heard him say, as he jogged a moment to catch up with me. I continued to march in the direction that felt right, thinking about everything that had just happened. How could anyone do something that stupid? And people were actually praising him for it? What if he had died, would the reaction be the same? What a fool that boy was!

“Wait, Hoshiko, you’re going the wrong way…!”

\--

After that incident, Rubeus and I set out towards Lumiose City. In order to get there, we had to pass through Cyllage City, where I hoped to meet up with Miette.

“Ahh, sorry, Hosh!” Miette told me when I called her. In Kalos, there’s this thing called a HoloCaster, which is like portable holographic video chat. We had PokeNav in Hoenn but this is much better. I could tell she actually was sorry from the look on her face. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to come and I really wanted to make this competition!”

“You’re fine, but you’d better win it!” I replied, smirking.

“Would I do anything else?” she rhetorically asked.

I let her know that Rubeus and I were travelling together, and that Cyllage City was our first pit stop in the journey towards Lumiose. She smiled strangely in response.

“Why are you smiling like that?” I asked.

“No reason~” she sang in reply.

Her strange sing-songy reply reminded me that I need some normal friends.

After we ended the call, I met up with Rubeus again. He had been training with his Swampert at a nearby lake. He didn’t hear me walking towards him, so I figured I’d check out his training style.

“Tropius, Magical Leaf!” Rubeus commanded.

I hadn’t seen it before, but opposing his Swampert stood a Tropius. What an impressive Pokemon! I’d always loved their huge, leaf-like wings and the cute tropical fruits that grew near their heads. Also, since they were native to the Fortree City area, I couldn’t help but admire the fruit Pokemon.

“Swampert, counter it!”

What an unusual training technique; having his Pokemon battle each other, and letting them decide how they wanted to counter! He hadn’t specified an attack, so I watched in anticipation to see what Swampert would do. The blue Pokemon growled, “Swaaam!” and released a murky wave against the leaves. Muddy Water!

“Wow!” I exclaimed, completely engrossed in the mock battle. Rubeus jumped a little, then turned to face me.

“Hoshiko!” he yelped. “How long have you been there?”

“Not long at all,” I replied. “That was really cool though! And I didn’t realize you had a Tropius!”

“Oh, right,” he said. “You haven’t met the team yet. Well, here’s Tropius! And finally, here’s the other two!”

He threw two Pokeballs in the air, and out popped—

“Solrock! And Pikachu!” I exclaimed, happy to see some Hoenn-native Pokemon.

“Solll,” the Solrock droned, spinning slightly in the air.

“Pi, pika!” the little Pikachu exclaimed, smiling. Its tail had a notch at the end with a conveniently placed black mark to further emphasize its heart shape.

“What a unique tail!” I exclaimed. 

“Yes, this little one is very unique,” he replied. “Actually, she was given to me. This Pikachu can’t evolve.”

“What?” I asked, surprised. “But Pikachu evolves into Raichu! You did try using a Thunder Stone, right?”

Rubeus nodded, then frowned and amended, “Well, I didn’t. Her previous trainer did. But nothing happened.”

“Piikah…” the Pikachu sighed, looking down.

“No, Pikachu, you can’t be down about it. Your trainer should have just accepted you the way you are!” Rubeus announced. Pikachu perked up slightly, but still seemed bummed. “Anyway, I happened to run into her old trainer in Lilycove City, as I was waiting for the boat to Kalos. He had been trying to give away Pikachu for days after he’d realized she couldn’t evolve, but no one would take her! So, I did.”

I didn’t realize before how kind Rubeus was. Perhaps that’s why he responded so reasonably to that trainer who had jumped off Lumiose Tower to save the Garchomp; he also helped Pokemon who were in need any way he could. I must have been staring, as while I was thinking this Rubeus turned away and flushed. “You’re staring, Hoshiko…”

I felt my cheeks color. “Ack! Sorry. I was thinking about how kind you are to have taken this little one in.”

He paused a moment, seeming to savor the compliment. Then, he said, “Actually, I’m very glad she’s a part of my team. Not only is she unique, but she’s strong too. I bet she could beat any old Raichu any day!”

“Pi, pika!” it – or she, rather – replied, putting her paws on her hips and standing proudly next to Rubeus. Solrock, Tropius, and Swampert nodded their approval of their friend as well. 

I smiled. Even though Rubeus was (is, really) a total weirdo, he was also a good person. I felt thankful to have such a good travelling partner on my first journey around the region. I let him know it, and he responded with a grin.

The boy recalled all of his Pokemon, then said, “Let’s continue towards Cyllage City! Hopefully you can see Miette before she heads off for that contest.”

“Yeah! Let’s hurry!” I exclaimed, running towards the next town.

\--

About a day and a half later, we made it to Cyllage City. The Poffle competition, according to the many posters around the Cyllage City Pokemon Center, was to take place the next day. So we’d made it!

“I’m just going to sleep all day tomorrow, if that’s all right with you,” Rubeus grumbled.

The whole time, the boy had complained about how fast I was moving. But if we’d moved any slower, we would have missed the chance to see Miette altogether!

“I’m going to the hotel to see if there are any rooms,” Rubeus told me.

I nodded. “I’m really hoping we’ll find something, especially with the Poffle contest so soon.”

He gasped. “You’re right! I’d better hurry!” he exclaimed, before running towards the hotel.

I tried Miette on her HoloCaster. No answer. That girl…

“Look at this! A Poffle making contest! You’d be great at that!”

Other trainers were interested in this Poffle making thing too? I looked up to see a group of four children – two boys, two girls – staring with amazement at the poster. The one who had just spoken looked awfully familiar…

“I… I don’t know, Ash,” the older of the girls said, blushing slightly.

“Well, we’re here anyway, Serena,” the other boy offered up. I almost burst out laughing at his attire – he wore a light blue jumpsuit. That’s it! Just a strange jumpsuit. His shockingly yellow hair and huge glasses didn’t help the strange vibes he gave off.

“Yeah! You could win it for sure! Your Poffles are great!” the little girl chirped, jumping up and down. Her hair was just as yellow as jumpsuit boy’s, but at least she wore better clothes. The older girl turned towards the little girl and smiled.

“Well, Bonnie, if you think so, then I guess I should enter!” she said.

The boy – not jumpsuit boy, the other one – turned around towards me, and then I realized why he looked so familiar. The Pikachu should have been a dead giveaway, but seeing his face I knew for sure—

“You’re the Garchomp kid!” I yelled, pointing directly at him.

The group seemed confused for a minute, as I kept my pointing stance. Wait… had I done all that in real life and not just in my head? How embarrassing! I started blushing, but couldn’t get myself to stop pointing. Finally, Garchomp kid laughed. “You saw that?”

“Did I see that? Everyone in Kalos saw that!” I replied. Then I realized I sounded too excited, so I made an effort to bring it down a bit. “Sorry, I should introduce myself. My name is Hoshiko Gateaux.”

“I’m Ash Ketchum, and this is Pikachu,” Garchomp kid said.

“I’m Serena,” the older girl told me.

“I’m Clemont,” jumpsuit boy announced.

“I’m Bonnie, and this is Dedenne!” the little girl said. A small mouse Pokemon popped out of her fanny pack and chirped, “Deh deh neh!”

“Good to meet all of you,” I replied, bowing slightly. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear, will you be entering the Poffle contest, Serena?”

She beamed. “I guess so! Are you here for that, too?”

“Well, sort of,” I said. “I’m not entering, but I know someone who is, and I thought I’d at least say hello before continuing on my journey.”

“Where are you going?” Clemont asked me.

“Lumiose City! I’m so excited to see the Lumiose Tower!” I replied.

“Big brother, this girl is so cute!” Bonnie chirped. I didn’t understand what she meant, but she somehow ended up right next to me. “Can I keep you, sil vous plait?” she asked me suddenly.

“Wha—”

“Bonnie!” Clemont shouted, running over and grabbing Bonnie. “Don’t do that anymore!”

Right next to the pair, Ash and Serena sighed and shook their heads, indicating this was probably normal behavior for the little one.

“We’d better head off and try to find somewhere to stay for the night,” Serena said. “It was good to meet you Hoshiko, and hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow.”

As the group of four turned to leave, finally overcome by curiosity, I shouted, “Wait!” They stopped, confused.

“Ash, can I ask you a question?” The boy turned towards me and nodded. “Why did you do that? Why did you jump off after the Garchomp?”

“I honestly didn’t think too much about it. I knew that Garchomp needed help, so I was ready to help it out.”

“But you could have died,” I said. “That’s the part that confuses me.”

He nodded. “I know! That’s how it’s pretty clear to me that I didn’t think first,” he chuckled. “But, like I said, a Pokemon that had done no wrong needed help. I had to do anything I could to help it out.”

“Ash always does his best for Pokemon!” Bonnie added. Clemont and Serena nodded in agreement.

“But…” I mumbled, still confused.

“Listen, Hoshiko,” Ash said, looking directly into my eyes. “I don’t always have a reason for everything. But I know that innocent lives always deserve the most effort. And that’s why I did what I did.”

His amber brown eyes radiated kindness, and I thought maybe I could start to understand what he meant. Him jumping after that Garchomp, or Rubeus taking in a random unwanted Pikachu…

“Thanks, Ash. I appreciate it. I’ll see you tomorrow, perhaps.”

“See ya! Goodnight!” he said, smiling. Though when he talked he seemed more mature, as soon as we ended the conversation the child returned. The other three wished me a good night as well, and the group of four set off towards the hotel. They passed ways with Rubeus, who entered through the still open doors.

“I managed to get us a room, Hoshiko,” he said. He noticed my face – pensive, probably – and added, “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just thinking,” I told him.

“Were you going to meet with Miette before going to sleep?” he asked me.

Right, Miette. I’d almost forgotten. I tried her HoloCaster again, but it was turned off. “Guess not. Let’s just get some rest and I’ll try to catch her in the morning.”

Rubeus noticed my troubled look, but said nothing as we headed towards the hotel. Sleeping on things always helped me rationalize them, so I knew that a good night’s sleep was all I needed…

\--

“Hoshiko… Hoshiko…”

I heard a soft, melodious voice from nearby. Everything seemed so comfortable, it felt like I was in the clouds.

“Hoshiko! Get up!”

Wait… was I asleep?

“Whozzere?” I mumbled, trying to reorient myself. I peeked out of the covers to see Rubeus, post clothes but pre hat.

“You’re going to miss the Poffle contest! Hurry so we can see Miette!” Rubeus exclaimed. I jumped up.

“Ah! What time is it!”

“It’s past 11, and the contest starts at 12!” he informed.

In full rush-panic mode, I quickly put on my clothes and grabbed all of my stuff. I glanced at the clock, which blared back at me in red digital numbers 11:49.

I made my way to the lobby, where Rubeus waited for me. He held a coffee cup in his hand.

“What, none for me?” I joked.

“This is for you, Hoshiko,” he said.

Really… for me? Well, that was awfully nice. I took the cup, but before drinking, I remembered he didn’t drink coffee. “What is this? Not hot chocolate, right?”

“It’s a double shot sugar free hazelnut latte,” he recited.

How did he know that that was what I liked? I remembered when we’d gotten coffee back in Ambrette Town, but there was no way he could remember such a specific order from one time of hearing it! “Wow, you know my usual order! That’s impressive.”

He flushed at the compliment. “Yeah, well. I don’t want you being grumpy towards me so I figure I should fuel your caffeine addiction.”

We headed over to the location where the poster said the Poffle contest would be held. As we arrived, we realized that it was already in progress, and I saw Miette and Serena hard at work making Poffles. There was a partner group of twins next to them. How could that be fair, that one group has two people while Serena and Miette are each only one person!

“How is that paired group fair?” Rubeus asked me.

“We were thinking the same thing, apparently,” I replied.

I watched the three groups, hard at work. I could hear Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie cheering on Serena from the stands.

“Let’s sit next to them,” I told Rubeus, motioning towards Ash and company.

We walked over to where they sat, and seeing us, Ash scooted over. “Hey Hoshiko! Would you like to sit here?”

“You know this group?” Rubeus asked me. Then, he looked back at Ash. “Hey, you’re the Garchomp kid!”

Ash laughed. “Hoshiko had the same reaction,” he informed.

Rubeus looked back at me. “You met him? When?”

“Last night, at the Pokemon Center, when you were at the hotel getting us a room,” I told him. “His name is Ash, and the other two are Bonnie and Clemont.”

“Nice to meet all of you, I’m Ruby,” Rubeus said. “What you did was really cool, Ash!” he added for the Garchomp kid.

“It was nothing,” Ash replied.

“And, now, for judging!” a woman announced, bringing our attention back to the stage. Serena, Miette, and the partner group stood by their creations. Each of the judges tasted the Poffles, and deliberated for a moment.

“And the winner is… the Berrybaker siblings!” the announcer exclaimed.

Miette and Serena looked disappointed, while the siblings danced and celebrated with their Pokemon. That was ridiculous! They had an obvious advantage of having two people!

I ran right in front of their stupid gloating to see Miette. “Hey!”

“Hoshiko!” Miette exclaimed, hugging me. “I’m sorry you came all this way to see me lose!”

Her Pokemon, the pink dessert-like blob called Slurpuff, looked down as well. 

“Hey, relax! Your Poffle looked beautiful! And anyway, that matchup was totally unfair, since there was only one of you and the so-called winners had two people in their group.”

“Right?” Miette said, happy that someone also noticed that. “That was totally unfair! But we gave it our all, and I think Slurpuff and I are happy with a runner-up position, right? Plus, we got to meet a totally cute boy, so…”

“Slurrr…” Slurpuff nodded.

Miette was always meeting “totally cute” boys. “What’s his name?” I asked.

“Hold on, I’ll show you. He’s coming now,” Miette giggled. She ran over to where Serena stood, and Ash and company approached the two of them. As Miette engaged with Serena, the blonde looked annoyed, then embarrassed, turning the same color as her hat. Serena turned away from Miette, which caused her to notice me for the first time. She walked over, seeming thankful for anything to get her out of the situation, and said, “Hey Hoshiko! Did you get to see your friend?”

“I did, and so did you, apparently,” I laughed. Serena looked confused. “Miette is the friend I came to see,” I added.

“Oh! Well, she is interesting, I guess…” she trailed off.

“Is she giving you a hard time?” I asked. Serena nodded. “That’s really just standard Miette procedure. Just ignore it.”

Serena managed a smile, her cerulean eyes lighting up slightly. “Thanks, Hoshiko! And I’m glad you were able to make it out to see the competition.”

“Yeah!” I replied. “Your Poffle looked great! Perhaps sometime you can teach me how to make them, too.”

“Sure,” Serena said, smiling. Her look sobered slightly before she continued, “So, you’re on a journey? What are you aiming for?”

I looked into her eyes, which seemed lost somehow. “Yes, I am. I’m competing in TriPokalon competitions.”

“What’s that?”

“Well…” I’d only just competed in my first one! How was I supposed to explain it to someone when I barely even knew what it meant? “It’s like… showing off the skills of your Pokemon. Like in the one I was just in, we decorated a cake, and then we got to do a choreographed performance for everyone.”

“That sounds fun!” Serena exclaimed. “I’m still trying to figure out what my dream is on this journey.”

“Why did you decide to go on a journey, then?”

Serena turned away, her cheeks coloring. “I… well, I just wanted to get away from home.”

That didn’t seem like something to be embarrassed of, but the girl’s cheeks continued to get redder.

“That makes sense. Just enjoy your friends and your Pokemon. You’ll figure it out soon, what you’re meant to do.”

Serena turned back to face me, grabbing my hands in hers. “Definitely!”

I suddenly felt excited. More friends! My journey kept on improving.

“Hosh, come over here!” Miette sang. She’d finished her conversation with Ash and company, and waved me over.

“I have been summoned,” I told Serena.

“That’s okay, it looks like Ash and the others are leaving, so I’d better catch up. Bye, Hoshiko! I’ll see you soon!”

“Good-bye! Next time we meet, you’d better have found your dream!” I yelled after the girl as she ran to catch up with her group. She turned slightly and waved quickly, to let me know that she’d heard me, before the four walked off into the distance. I rejoined my blue-haired friend, who absentmindedly brushed her palms against her dirty apron.

“Well, Hoshiko, did you see him?” she asked eagerly.

“See who?”

“The cute boy!”

“Uhh…” I mumbled. I’d completely forgotten to look out for whomever Miette had been talking about. “No?”

“No!? You didn’t see him? The kid with the Pikachu?”

The kid with the Pikachu? She didn’t mean… “Are you talking about Ash?” I asked.

“So you did see him!” she giggled.

“Ash is the totally cute boy?” I asked again, laughing. “I met him yesterday! He’s not really that cute.”

“Whatever,” Miette replied. “He is pretty cute, and he’s a confident one, too! Oblivious, though. Did you catch the way Serena looks at him? She’s totally into him!”

I’d missed that as well. “No, didn’t notice.”

“Wow!” Miette exclaimed, looking surprised. She then seemed to realize something, and continued, “Though, I mean, I guess I should have expected that from you, seeing as you’re an oblivious one, too.”

“What do you mean?” I asked her. She giggled in response and looked where seemed to be just over my shoulder.

“Hey, Hoshiko!” I heard a voice call. I turned to see Rubeus walking towards us. “Hi, Miette! It’s good to see you again,” Rubeus added quickly.

“It’s good to see you too, Ruby,” she managed to say through giggles.

“You okay?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Don’t pay attention to her,” I said. “She’s making fun of me.”

“For what?” Rubeus asked.

I waited to see if Miette would say anything, but she kept giggling. “She’s making fun of the fact that apparently I’m oblivious to people having more-than-friendship feelings for others.”

“What, like the fact that Serena likes Ash?” Rubeus asked.

Miette’s giggles turned into outright laughter. “Even Ruby noticed!”

It was my turn to say, “Whatever.” Then, I turned to Rubeus. “Are you ready to head out?”

He nodded. “Yep, Pokemon are all healed and we’re ready to go!”

“Are you coming?” I asked Miette.

“To Lumiose City?” she returned. “Well, actually, yes, I’d like to go that way. If you don’t mind, Ruby,” she added.

“I… I don’t mind, of course! A friend of Hoshiko’s is a friend of mine,” Rubeus said, nodding enthusiastically.

“That’s what I should be saying!” Miette exclaimed.

“Well, I’m glad we’re all friends, however that happened,” I said. “If we’re all ready to go, I’d really like to get to Lumiose City soon.”

And so, we set off towards the center of the region, one of the largest cities in the world. I felt completely ready for the bright lights, for the hustle and bustle, and for all of the wonderful things we’d see and people we’d meet…!

\--

I awoke the next day to the sound of birds flying through the air. It seemed very quiet. Too quiet…

I bolted upwards to find that Rubeus and Miette had gone. Where were they?

“Hey… hey Miette?” I queried the air. “Rubeus?” I added, not hearing a response. Where did they go? Did they forget about me!?

“Well…” I mumbled to myself. I got up, cleaned up the campsite, and decided to head off on my own towards Lumiose City. We were about a day away, so perhaps I could catch up with them if I started walking now. 

Since I felt somewhat lonely, I reached for my Pokeballs… only to find they weren’t there!

“What the hell?!” I snapped at no one in particular. A flock of redheaded birds I recognized as Fletchling flew out of a tree in response, startled by my yell. Where were my Pokemon? I definitely left them on my belt, didn’t I? Wait, no… the conversation from last night came back to me suddenly…

 _“Hey, have you let your Pokemon out for some air yet?”_ Miette had asked me.

I actually hadn’t, and told her so.

_“I’m about to let my team out. If you want to stay and relax, I’d be happy to watch your team if you’d like.”_

I was tired, and Miette seemed to notice that. She also seemed strangely eager to watch my Pokemon. _“Sure, that’s fine.”_ I’d told her.

Miette had my Pokemon. How had I let that happen?

“Come on, you guys, this isn’t funny!” I yelled. No response. Well, may as well continue on my way.

As I walked onwards towards Lumiose City, I began my plot to kill those two. How could they leave me alone in the middle of nowhere without my Pokemon? I’d never heard of anything more reckless. And from my friends, to boot! Or maybe I needed some quotes for them. My “friends.”

As I pondered this, I failed to realize something sat right in front of—

“Ahh!” I exclaimed, tripping.

“Sprit!” something under me squeaked. A Pokemon!?

I stood up as quickly as I could, facing the Pokemon that I had almost crushed. The small, pink creature seemed dazed, then shook its head and stared directly at me. “Zee!” it snapped angrily.

“Sor—” I began, hoping to assuage the pink Pokemon. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

“Spritzee!” it chirped, unleashing a gust of sparkling wind towards me. Fairy Wind, maybe?

“No, I didn’t mean it!” I exclaimed, running away. The Pokemon floated after me, shooting off Fairy Wind after Fairy Wind. I absent-mindedly hoped that Lumiose City wasn’t too far away so I could get this thing away from me—

My foot caught on a rock, and I tripped once again. The little Pokemon caught up with me, and I looked back at it, as it prepared to launch another barrage at me.

“I’m sorry!” I managed to say. “Please don’t attack me!”

The Pokemon stopped itself, and seemed embarrassed somehow. As it floated in the air, staring at me, I realized that it was most likely that the little one had just been startled by my giant form falling on it. After all, I was several times larger than that little guy was!

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” I added.

The Pokemon looked away, then mumbled, “Zee…”

On closer examination, I realized that the Pokemon had been nursing one of its wings. As I noticed this, it plummeted towards the ground, seemingly exhausted.

“I… I did that, didn’t I?” I asked no one in particular. “Well, I guess you’re my responsibility now, little one.”

So I carried the little one all the way to the nearest Pokemon Center, which was on the outskirts of the Lumiose City limits. I hardly noticed entering the town, as my priority was to get this little one some help from Nurse Joy. She ran over, seeing the fainted Pokemon in my arms, and took it over to be healed. As I waited, I realized – the HoloCaster. I could have just called Miette that way! Why didn’t I think of that?

“Hello!” Miette chirped, waving. “Good morning! Or afternoon! I’m surprised you woke up so late—”

“Where the hell are you!?” I snapped, frankly pretty pissed. Miette seemed taken aback.

“Uh, we left you a note. Ruby and I are at a coffee shop. Didn’t you pass the Le Corner Patisserie—”

I might have, but I didn’t notice, especially if I had passed that after the incident with the Pokemon that I almost crushed. “No! I mean maybe? Well whatever! You guys left me without my Pokemon!”

“Give me that,” I heard Rubeus say from outside the shot. Miette grudgingly gave the HoloCaster over, and I saw Rubeus’ face. He seemed… worried, almost? “We left you a note to meet us here. We had a surprise for you.”

“Well…” I mumbled. “I must have missed the note. Either you can come here or I’ll come to you after it’s done healing.”

“What is?” I heard Miette ask from out of the frame.

As if on cue, Nurse Joy exclaimed, “Miss Gateaux, your Pokemon has been restored to full health!”

I whipped around to see the little pink puff floating in the air again. It did a couple of somersaults in the air, simply to show off. “Sprit-zee~!” it sang.

“Spritzee, the Perfume Pokemon,” I heard Rubeus’ Pokedex read out. “In the past, rather than using perfume, royal ladies carried a Spritzee that would waft a fragrance they liked.” Rubeus then stammered, “I-I guess that makes you a royal lady, then?”

I couldn’t help myself; I laughed. “Ha! Not in a million years. Technically this Spritzee isn’t mine, though. I haven’t caught it. Well, unless crushing it with the full weight of my body counts as catching it, at any rate.”

“What the hell did you do!?” Miette exclaimed.

I told them what had happened, storming off from the campsite, then being ultra clumsy and tripping twice before convincing the Spritzee that I didn’t mean it any harm.

“Even after all that, it’s still right behind you,” Miette pointed out.

I turned to see that indeed, the Spritzee hovered right by my ear, before resting on my shoulder. I didn’t understand why it was so friendly with me. Perhaps it appreciated the fact that I tried everything I could to apologize while it chased me.

“You smell nice,” I told it.

“Sprit!” it chirped in reply.

“Come to the café,” Rubeus said, snapping my attention back to the Holo Caster. “We still want to show you our surprise.”

I nodded, then turned off the device and headed back down the route, Spritzee still on my shoulder. It turned out that the café was quite close to us, just a few minutes down Route 7. I opened the door to see—

“Surprise!” Rubeus, Miette, and all of our Pokemon exclaimed at once. Well, the Pokemon all said their names, but in a similar tone of voice as the humans.

Behind the group, a banner, confetti, and a bunch of people standing and clapping. What the hell…? Then, I finally made out the words on the banner—

“Happy birthday!” Miette chimed, then ran over to hug me. 

Rubeus followed right behind her, echoing the sentiment, “Happy birthday, Hoshiko,” then joining in on the hug.

Right. Today was July 5th. My fourteenth birthday. Though I didn’t want it to happen, I felt my annoyance and frustration with the two “friends” – now once again friends without the quotes, really – dissipate. I hugged the two of them back. In the background, I noticed a middle-aged woman scurrying about, carrying some kind of tray with pastry on it in her hands. I would think that my friends know that I don’t like sweets, but I guess it’s the thought that counts. I thought that until I made it over to the table to see what the woman had put there. 

“Are these cream puffs?” I asked. They certainly looked like them, as I stared at small balls of flaky pastry dough which stared back.

“Try one,” Rubeus prompted.

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t really like sweets.” But despite myself, I reached down and took a bite. “Cheese!” I gasped, as I bit into the pastry.

Rubeus and Miette both laughed at my reaction. “It’s called gougère,” Miette said. “We know about your weird sweets aversion, so Miss Sabine here made them just for you.”

I felt myself smiling from ear to ear. Amaura, Breloom, and Torkoal came up right next to me, nuzzling with me, joining me on the special day.

My fourteenth birthday. I had forgotten it. But, I guess these two hadn’t. My friends on this journey. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all.


	5. Lunatics in Lumiose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star burns too brightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the love via kudos and a bookmark, y'all. I am honored.

**_Lunatics in Lumiose_ ** _  
July_

“Look, Hoshiko!” Miette yelled in my ear, waving a hand right in my periphery.

I turned sharply to face the young baker-in-training's yelling, flailing self. She had one arm outstretched towards the wall, where a collection of fliers hung. “What are you on about?”

“There’s going to be a TriPokalon near here! We need to enter for sure, Hosh!”

I snuck a peek at the flier that Miette pointed out. TriPokalon, Parfum Palace! it announced. The poster showcased a very large house with an equally large garden.

“That actually sounds awesome,” I said.

We went over to the Pokemon Center to register for the competition, sans Rubeus. Though Miette and I weren't quite sure where he'd gone, he did give us a clue. He told us he would try to visit the Lumiose Gym again, even though he didn’t have the requisite four badges yet.

“He’s been gone a while,” Miette pointed out as if reading my mind. “I wonder if he was able to get into the gym after all?”

“Maybe so. After we register, let’s go and see!”

We registered and headed off towards the city center: Lumiose Tower. The large tower appeared more beautiful in person, practically glittering in the afternoon sun. My mind flashed me back to the news broadcast, where the boy – Ash – jumped off to save the Garchomp. Not only was the tower more beautiful, but much taller in person, too…

“Come on, Hosh!” Miette exclaimed, pulling me back into reality.

We stepped inside, and followed all of the signs pointing towards the gym. Even before we opened the door, I could hear a familiar boy's shouting.

“Swampert, use Mud Shot!”

We walked in on Swampert versus another Pokemon with a large, satellite dish-like collar. “Heliolisk,” Miette supplied, knowing that I was mostly unfamiliar with Kalos Pokemon. And wait… was that trainer… a robot?

“Heliolisk, dodge. Use Dragon Tail,” it droned.

Heliolisk managed to jump out of the way of the attack, and nimbly made its way over towards Swampert. After slamming a glowing tail directly into Swampert, the electric lizard Pokemon jumped off of Swampert and landed back on its side of the field. Swampert lit up almost as if evolving, and was recalled to its Pokeball…?

“Ah!” Rubeus exclaimed, also seemingly surprised. The next Pokeball in his belt reacted, and out came Pikachu.

“What the—” I gasped, completely taken aback.

“That's a side effect of the move Dragon Tail,” Miette supplied. “It recalls the Pokemon back to its trainer and randomly selects another one for battle.”

“Well, this is fine, too! Pikachu, Quick Attack!”

The electric mouse Pokemon charged towards Heliolisk, and it immediately became clear that though the type matchup wasn’t ideal, Pikachu was able to match Heliolisk in speed where Swampert could not.

“Heliolisk, stop it and use Parabolic Charge,” the robot spoke.

“No! Don’t let it get you, Pikachu!” Rubeus commanded.

Heliolisk grabbed for the little mouse, but Pikachu managed to escape its grasp and jumped off of Heliolisk’s head. With his Pokemon now airborne, Rubeus seemed to realize that he needed to take this chance:

“Pikachu, Volt Tackle!”

Pikachu slammed directly into Heliolisk, the combined powers of the attack and gravity causing the lizard to crash towards the ground. It tried to stand, but ultimately fell back down, unable to battle!

“Return, Heliolisk. Now, for my final Pokemon, I will choose Magneton.”

The magnetic Pokemon appeared, staring down Pikachu with all three eyes. Volt Tackle must have worn Pikachu out, as the electric mouse Pokemon struggled to stand, sparks flying off of her tiny body. Rubeus clearly noticed this, as he called out:

“Pikachu, return! Time to show ‘em, Swampert!”

The mudfish Pokemon popped out of its Pokeball, ready to battle. The battle definitely had to be in the bag – Magneton, as a steel and electric type, had a double weakness to ground type moves. At least, that’s what Miette whispered in my ear; I’d never been good at remembering type matchups. Even from the distance we stood, I could see a smirk on Rubeus’ face. I couldn’t help but think of something that Winona had always said to me when we trained for Pokemon Contests: it’s unwise to be too confident until the battle’s won.

“Mud Shot!” Rubeus exclaimed, ready to end the battle quickly.

“Repel it with Mirror Shot,” the robot calmly instructed.

The bright, silvery attack managed to force the muddy one back towards Swampert. Both attacks struck the mudfish, and both Pokemon and trainer looked shocked.

“Tri Attack,” the robot continued.

“Swampert, get—”

Unfortunately, Magneton was too fast for Swampert, and managed to launch its attack before Rubeus could finish his command. Though Swampert didn’t fall, he sparked with electricity. But how, as a ground type…?

“Wow, Tri Attack paralyzed Swampert! That’s some bad luck,” Miette said.

Having Miette around was great for this, as she actually studied for class.

“Swampert…” Rubeus’ face, once adorned with confidence, now appeared crestfallen. “We can’t give up yet! We have to give it our all!”

“That’s what you usually say, Hosh!” Miette gasped, then giggled.

“What's that got to do with anything?” I grumbled, seeing that familiar sly smirk on the girl's face.

“Nothing,” the blue haired girl began. At my glare, she clarified, “It’s cute that he’s picked up on your catchphrase.”

“It's not like those words belong to me…” I muttered, but Miette wasn’t listening anymore. Instead, she stood with her mouth open. 

“Hoshiko, look—!”

Swampert had managed to stand fully, and slammed its arms into the gym floor, shaking everything around it.

“Earthquake…” Rubeus said, stunned. Then, realizing the situation, he cried louder, “Earthquake!”

The mudfish Pokemon unleashed its attack against the magnet Pokemon, who couldn’t do anything to repel the entire gym shaking below it. As debris started to fly up everywhere, Magneton couldn’t do anything to dodge, and finally got struck down. Unable to handle the double type weakness, it fainted.

“We did it, Swampert!” Rubeus exclaimed. Swampert looked back proudly at its trainer, then collapsed on the gym floor. “You deserve a long rest, buddy,” he said, recalling the Pokemon back.

“Let’s go congratulate him, Hoshiko!” Miette said, grabbing my hand. We ran together down to the battlefield, careful to dodge any potholes that Swampert had created.

“You did it Rubeus!” I chimed.

The boy whipped around, seemingly noticing us for the first time. “H-Hoshiko! And Miette! How long have you two been here?”

“Long enough to know that you and Swampert _gave it your all_ ,” Miette half-spoke and half-sang.

Rubeus flushed slightly. “Well, the encouragement seemed to work, didn’t it?”

The robot had somehow joined us, and held out a badge in his? its? hand. “Congratulations, challenger Rubeus Senri. Here is the Voltage Badge.”

“Senri?” Miette asked, seemingly to herself. “Why does that sound familiar?”

Rubeus either didn’t hear or ignored her, as he seemed to be zoned in on his new badge. He pinned it to his badge case, and it marked the fourth of his journey in Kalos.

“Thank you, Clembot,” he said to the robot. It gave an electronic chatter in response.

As we left the Prism Tower, Miette said, “So, we’re signed up for a TriPokalon that’s in two days at Parfum Palace!”

“And I’d like to head up to the competition at Coumarine City, as well,” I added, remembering Monsieur Pierre’s announcement at the last competition.

“Well, whatever you want,” Rubeus said dismissively. 

“Rubeus, are you okay?” I asked the boy. He seemed oddly out of it.

“I’m fine, really,” he replied. “I’ll go rest for a bit, though. You two should practice for your TriPokalon contests.”

Miette and I exchanged glances, but neither of us quite knew what to make of Rubeus’ moodiness. So, we left the gym to prepare for our upcoming competition.

\--

“It’s Pierre again!” I exclaimed, way too excited to see the somewhat eccentric guy with his luminous trench coat.

Miette seemed to share in my enthusiasm. “There goes Klefki off of his staff!” she chirped, following the keychain Pokemon with her finger as it glided through the sky.

“Welcome to the Parfum Palace TriPokalon!” the man announced, a strangely well-timed breeze blowing his trench coat as if to accent his words. “This special competition is only held once every few years. Thanks to the palace owner Richmond for allowing us to use his garden, of course,” Pierre slyly threw in.

“An outdoor TriPokalon is very unique,” Miette stated, “but I think it’s ridiculous that we had to pay the entrance fee as competitors!”

“Well, there’s a reason that the rich keep getting richer,” I mumbled cynically.

Monsieur Pierre stood silently a moment, preparing to announce theme of the contest. “The theme this time… is to accent the beauty of this arena. We will be celebrating the statues of Parfum Palace in the theme of performance art!”

“What?” I asked, turning to Miette. “What does that mean?”

The Kalosian shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Miette!”

“Let’s just hope we don’t go first,” Miette added.

I sighed. Though the girl was smart, when she came across something she hadn’t learned in school, she could be so flippant.

“And let’s get started for the first round. Chosen by lottery, come to the stage: contestants 1, 10, and 12!”

I looked down at my number: 10. Wait…

“Ack!” I gulped. “That’s me!”

“Good luck Hosh!” Miette chirped. She had registered after me and had number 11. Figured she’d luck out and not have to go first for this… performance art.

Myself and two other girls – one I recognized from my first contest – took the stage. Since Monsieur Pierre stood relatively close to me, I hissed at him, “What is performance art?”

“Take a look around you,” he replied. “Find something that inspires you and recreate that with your Pokemon.”

Okay, that made more sense… except, it didn’t at all.

“Round start!” Monsieur Pierre announced.

The other girls next to me also didn’t quite seem to know where to begin. I sent out Breloom and Amaura, hoping for something. Glancing around the garden, I noticed the statues, the hard gray slabs contrasting the vibrancy of the garden.

Well, that idea was better than nothing… “Let’s get started! Amaura, use Ancient Power all around us! Breloom, jump in the air as high as you can!”

The fossil Pokemon stared at me quizzically, but used the attack anyway. I heard other trainers starting their routines around me, but their words were completely lost to me. “Breloom, surround yourself in a Bullet Seed tornado!”

The mushroom Pokemon, familiar with this appeal, started spinning in midair and surrounding itself with glowing seeds.

“Frost Breath, Amaura!”

Amaura didn’t hesitate this time. With perhaps more trust than it should have had, Amaura launched a sparkling breeze towards Breloom. The seeds and rocks below all froze, and glittered under the harsh stage lights.

“Breloom, can you move?” I asked it. It managed to nod. “Leech Seed on me!”

I heard some people in the audience gasp, as the Pokemon launched a seed towards me. The seeds sprouted around me, wrapping my body up in the vines. 

“Amaura, use Ancient Power on me!” I commanded. The fossil Pokemon cowered slightly, not wanting to attack me. “Now!” I emphasized, and Amaura overcame its nervousness. Instead of creating smaller rocks like it had before, Amaura created an Ancient Power column. Though the rocks hurt, I didn’t cry out – instead, I embraced my new transformation into a statue-like creation. The vines from Leech Seed manage to protect me from a direct hit, anyway, so I was mostly okay.

“Amaura, create an Ancient Power bridge above us, then freeze it and get up there!” I cried, realizing that the round would be over soon and my vision was not yet complete. Amaura completed this, creating a balcony of sorts (at least, I hoped it looked like that), and stood proudly above myself and Breloom.

“And, time’s up!” Monsieur Pierre announced. “Wow, impressive! You really understood the advice I gave you earlier,” he added, only to me.

I felt myself flush. I mean, despite his strangeness, he wasn’t bad looking and I appreciated the compliment! I wanted to see what my competitors had done, but I couldn’t see anything next to me, as I couldn’t move at all.

“The performer who best combined the nature of this beautiful garden with the manmade features around us in their appeal is…” Pierre consulted the man who owned the garden – Richmond, I think he said – before finally announcing, “… contestant number 10! Congratulations!”

“We did it!” I exclaimed. Breloom and Amaura chirped positively in agreement. Thankfully, the attacks wore off and both Breloom and I were freed.

“You were awesome, Hosh!” Miette cried as I entered the backstage area, running to hug me. “Now that I’ve seen your appeal, I totally get what Monsieur Pierre said!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, your appeal made it make sense. I’m not sure what the other girls were trying to do, but I totally got the imagery of sculptures overtaken by nature from your performance. And at the end with Amaura, was that supposed to be the balcony that the spectators are standing on?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, excited that someone understood what I’d been going for.

“I’m hard pressed to top your appeal,” Miette murmured. “But Espurr, Slurpuff, and I will give it our all…” She trailed off, realizing she used my catchphrase. “Just because I said that doesn’t mean I _like_ you!” she added.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.

She simply giggled before running off on stage for her round.

“Good luck Miette!” I yelled after her.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” I heard a voice ask behind me. I turned to see Rubeus, his gray eyes seeming darker than usual.

“I’m okay! I know it looks like it hurt, but really—”

“You could have really injured yourself!” he borderline yelled. 

I felt everyone turning to stare at us, and I hissed in response, “Rubeus, could you not shout!”

The boy flushed, rubbing the back of his head. “Right… sorry. But I was worried about you! That didn’t look comfortable.” He grabbed my arm, which admittedly, made me flinch from the soreness. “You sure you okay?”

“I’ll probably have a few bruises,” I admitted.

He seemed angry at my response, somehow. “Be more careful out there!”

“Right…” I muttered. Who was he to tell me what to do? “We’re missing Miette’s performance,” I added, pointing at the screen. From the looks of it, she’d had Espurr suspend her in midair while Slurpuff surrounded her with some kind of fairy attack. She’d have a hard time emulating the elements of nature without a grass, water, fire, ground, or ice type…

“I didn’t make it,” Miette said as she returned from her performance, smiling sheepishly. “I was at a bit of a disadvantage without any nature-typed Pokemon!”

I nodded in response. “It’s okay. Next time, right?” I asked her.

“For sure! I’ll win the Coumarine City TriPokalon for sure!” she announced, every other performer turning to stare at her.

The finals approached quickly, and I looked forward to the non-themed appeals round. I sent out Spritzee and Torkoal, and asked them if they’d be willing to take on the final round. They both nodded enthusiastically in response, and the three of us took the stage!

I saw Monseiur Pierre looking on from the corner of my eye, and when I turned to him to see if he actually was looking, he nodded. Was that his way of cheering me on? But he was supposed to be the impartial announcer!

“Spritzee, use Fairy Wind on me and Torkoal!” I commanded.

The little spectre-like Pokemon chirped happily, excited to be involved in this competition. It released a pink, glowing air around us, raising us into the air. I felt my competition dress rise, and grabbing it by the bottom hem, I managed to get out: “Torkoal, use Fire Spin!”

Thankfully, the fairy type move combined with the fire type move diminished the Fire Spin’s power, as I felt the heat surround us. I wondered if this would be too risky, but I knew there was no time to decide, so I hastily added, “Rapid Spin around us, Torkoal!”

The tortoise Pokemon seemed to have a similar thought process to me, but proceeded to spin around me, continuing to release flames. The additional oxygen whipped up by Torkoal’s Rapid Spin caused the flames to grow much larger…

I felt the heat consuming everything around me. I wasn’t quite sure how to stop it, when all of a sudden, I felt something cooling come upon me… Spritzee sprayed some kind of mist from its mouth, surrounding me in glimmering coolness. What could that move have been? At any rate, Spritzee’s quick thinking saved me.

With the flames quelled, Torkoal Rapid Spinned just below me, catching me and landing right next to Spritzee. Managing a pose, I called, “Finished!” while the two Pokemon chirped with emphasis behind me. 

Applause rang out in front of us, whistles and shouts accenting the harsh sound. I tried to recall my Pokemon and move off-stage, but my weakened body wouldn't move an inch. The other Performers joined me on-stage for the judging round. Colored lights surrounded us as the audience made their decision on who performed the best, trapping me in a dizzying flurry. The colors mingled with the patchy darkness taking over my vision, and I had to close my eyes to escape it all... 

\--

“…iko!”

I opened my eyes, then closed them again, the lights much too bright.

“Hoshiko!” I heard again. Rubeus?

“Hosh, what the hell, man!” Definitely Miette. “Passing out in the middle of the TriPokalon!”

Ah, so that’s what had happened…

“And still managing to win!” Miette added.

Wait…

“I won?” I croaked.

Miette and Rubeus sighed. I finally opened my eyes and saw the two of them shaking their heads. “Really, Hoshiko?” Rubeus asked rhetorically.

“You actually did win. And didn’t die, thanks to Spritzee’s Aromatic Mist,” Miette added.

Ah… that must have been the cooling attack Spriztee used when the flames went out of control!

“That was a miracle save, really,” Rubeus said. “Spritzee shouldn’t know that move. That’s the signature move of its evolved form, Aromatisse.”

“What’re you saying, Rubeus?” I asked the boy.

“You shouldn’t be alive right now!” he yelled. 

Miette looked stunned. “Keep your voice down, drama queen!” she hissed.

“Sprit,” Spritzee croaked, landing on my shoulder. Its eyes narrowed at me, almost as if it were trying to analyze my condition.

“I’m fine, thanks to you!” I exclaimed, patting the pink Pokemon. Its eyes relaxed slightly, and it bobbed in place by my shoulder.

“Now that you’re fully with us,” Miette began, digging into her pocket, “you should have these.”

A Princess Key! It looked so beautiful, even in the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital. And… a note? In meticulously practiced script, it read the following:

_Miss Hoshiko Gateaux,_

_I was quite impressed by your appeal today. You are clearly dedicated to training your Pokemon well. I would like the chance to chat with you sometime outside of TriPokalon. If you are headed to Coumarine City, feel free to give me a call on HoloCaster so we can agree on a time to meet up. That is, if you are interested._

_Yours, Pierre Pelletier_

… what did I just read? He just wanted to talk more about Pokemon, right? That’s what he said in the letter, anyway, so that’s how I would read it for now.

“What does it say?” Miette giggled. I wondered if I appeared as flushed as I felt.

“Read it for yourself,” I mumbled, handing her the paper. Both Rubeus and Miette read the script, then Miette giggled again.

“Wow! I’m in shock! Trenchcoat Boy is now your admirer!” she exclaimed.

“Now you’re too loud,” Rubeus chastised.

“He just wants to talk about my Pokemon,” I said. Miette always read too deeply into these things.

Both Miette and Rubeus stared at me. “Are you serious?” Rubeus asked me.

“She’s dead serious,” Miette said.

“It’s pretty clear that he wants to take you on a date, Hoshiko,” Rubeus added.

“It’s not that clear,” I said.

“It’s pretty clear,” Miette echoed.

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, you guys. Can we please work on getting me discharged from here?”

Rubeus stormed out of the room without a word, leaving just me and Miette.

“What’s his problem?” I asked the girl. She seemed to understand other people better than I did, and I felt as if I almost never understood what Rubeus was up to.

“You did almost die,” Miette replied. “At any rate, congratulations on your win! You really took my advice from last time to heart and it paid off. Well, except for this part.”

“I—” I began, but Rubeus already returned with a nurse behind him.

“Miss, let me just get your vitals and you will be free to go,” the nurse said. She shooed the other two out of the room, and then added, “What’s your legal name?”

“Hosh—” I began, then realized what I was doing. Had I really gone by that name for so long that I thought it was my actual name? “Astrid Ichinomiya,” I managed to say. The name felt foreign, like it belonged to someone I knew long ago but hadn’t spoken to in years.

“Right, I thought so,” the nurse said. “That’s what your Kalos issued ID read, anyway. But your Trainer ID said something different, and your friends were calling you by that name, so I thought I should check.”

“They-they didn’t see, did they?” I stammered. The nurse shook her head. “I just thought that I—”

“No explanation needed, Miss Gateaux,” the nurse said. “We all go by Joy once we get our nursing licenses, but most of us don’t start out named Joy. In some ways, the change in name brought me peace.”

I suddenly felt understood by someone else. Somehow, less alone in this world. And in that way, the nurse healed me further than anything they had done previously to heal my physical self.

As I walked into the lobby, Miette and Rubeus stood, waiting. 

“I’m ready,” I told them. They nodded, and the three of us headed out into the sunset.


	6. Coumarine Catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star starts to learn how she shines.

**_Coumarine Catastrophe_ ** _  
July_

We journeyed through Lumiose City to reach Coumarine City, which was just north of the Kalos capital. Once we hit Coumarine City, though, Rubeus disappeared. Really. Miette and I went to get him in the morning and he’d left before us. No note, and since he wasn’t Kalosian, no HoloCaster to contact him.

“Are you serious…” I muttered.

“You worried?” Miette chirped, her lips curling into one of her knowing smiles.

I rolled my eyes. Miette always read into things in some kind of ridiculous way. “No, not too much. Rubeus’ll be fine. His Pokemon will take care of him.” I sighed. “I just don’t get why he left. We didn’t get into any kind of argument, and he agreed that it was fine that we head to another TriPokalon before he challenge the next gym.”

Miette shrugged. “Maybe he changed his mind.”

“Apparently.”

Miette consulted her Town Map, and announced, “The next city with a gym is Laverre City, so I imagine that’s where Ruby headed.”

I nodded. “So that’s where we’ll head after Coumarine City.”

“Right!”

We’d journeyed pretty efficiently, and had plenty of time before the competition began. We had over 24 hours to explore the city and practice with our Pokemon. Miette and I split up for that time, training our Pokemon separately. As I tried to figure out some new combinations involving my Pokemon, I heard some familiar voices approaching—

“Cutie Ash incoming~” Miette sang. I didn’t even see her come up to me, but somehow she stood right next to me. I followed her eyes. As she'd said, Ash, along with Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont walked towards us. 

“Hey!” I announced. The four looked at me and Miette, and ran over, excited. 

“It’s great to see you two!” Ash exclaimed. Pikachu nodded in agreement, chirping, “Chu, pika!”

“Are you here for the TriPokalon, Serena?” I asked the dirty-blonde.

She smiled. “Yes! I’ve been practicing so much, and we’ll do our best!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah?” Miette began. I recognized that taunting tone right away… “Have you been practicing… to impress someone?”

Serena flushed, the color of her face practically matching her skirt. “Uh—no! Just so Fennekin, Pancham, and I can do our best!”

“You’re going to do great, Serena,” Ash encouraged.

I didn’t think it possible, but Serena grew even redder than before. Maybe Miette was right about Serena’s feelings. However, that didn't particularly interest me as much as it confused me, so I started tuning it out. As the five prattled on in conversation, I felt my HoloCaster go off. I answered it to see a familiar face…

“Hello, Hoshiko,” Pierre said.

Pierre… wait, what?!

“P—Pierre?” I managed to get out. “Why are you calling me?”

“The note, your friend got it to you, didn’t she?” he asked. His French accent… was kinda cute…

“Ah—right! Yes, the note,” I said. “Did you want to meet up tonight, then? I’ve been practicing for the TriPokalon, but I suppose I could take a break.”

“Great!” Pierre replied, flashing pearly whites. “Let’s meet at Café Coumarine in an hour,” he added. He must have texted me the address, as I heard a beep. “I look forward to speaking about performance with you!”

I sighed slightly in relief. I knew that Miette had been exaggerating the situation, and that was all that Pierre wanted to chat about. After all, he had to have been at least 17 or 18 years old. And I was barely 14! That would have been ridiculous. “Sounds good, see you then,” I told him before hanging up the call.

“Was that Mon~sieur Pi~erre~?” Miette sang.

I felt myself missing Rubeus, suddenly. At least he’d be more normal about this situation. “Yes. And he just wants to talk—”

“About you!”

“—about Pokemon performance,” I tried to finish over Miette’s annoying giggling.

“Right,” Miette said. 

I hoped that Ash and company weren’t listening to any of this, and thankfully, they were not, engaged in conversation between one another. 

“What time are you going to meet him?” Miette inquired.

“In an hour.”

“Ooh! He’s eager!” Miette teased. “If we only have that much time, I’d better start figuring out your outfit now!”

“I’m just going to wear this,” I said.

Miette gave me a once-over. Only slightly worn t-shirt, rip-free jeans, barely muddy sneakers… at that moment I was pretty much at my best, fashion-wise. She shook her head.

“You’re so embarrassing,” she told me. “I’ll go with you to pick out an outfit!”

“What?” Serena asked, perking up. “Outfit shopping?”

“Hoshiko’s got a date!” Miette squealed.

“No—” I attempted, but it was too late.

“Yes! I’ll come and help too!” Serena offered.

“Me too!” Bonnie added.

Somehow, I found myself walking down the Main Street area of Coumarine City, shopping for a dress for a meeting that wasn’t even a date. 

\--

Forty-five minutes later, I stood in front of a mirror for the last time. I barely recognized the person who stared back at me. My harsh jet black, arrow straight hair, seemed familiar, but everything else, from the strapless ruby red dress I wore to the saffron yellow bow in my hair to the patent black flats didn’t seem like me at all. At least Miette let me wear black leggings so my legs wouldn’t be exposed.

“You’re going to make me late for my meeting,” I sighed.

“I thought this was supposed to be a date?” Serena half-asked.

“No, this is just a meeting with someone I know.”

Bonnie and Serena seemed confused. The younger girl looked to the older, who shrugged her shoulders in a seeming response.

“Semantics,” Miette chimed in. She stood back, seeming to admire her “work,” then gave me a thumbs up. “You are sufficiently cute! Now go forth into the wild world of dating.”

“Hoshiko, give it your all!” all three of them shouted at my back. I wished I could deck all three of them, but Bonnie was a child and Serena didn’t mean to cause trouble. I could at least get back at Miette later.

I headed towards the Main Street district again, surrounded by the soft glow of streetlights. As the sun began to set over the hills, an orange hue appeared around the city. Though the city was small, it somehow had its charms. I never thought I’d think anything positive of a small town again, having come from one, but the beauty was something unrivaled.

“Hoshiko?”

I looked towards the voice to see Monsieur Pierre. Instead of his normal (well, “normal” is really a stretch) trench coat, he wore a simple black button down shirt with dark gray slacks. Okay, so it seemed he took it up a notch for this… meeting.

“Hello, Monsieur Pierre,” I said.

“Just Pierre. I’m not in any sort of character now,” he replied.

“Character?”

“Well yes, do you think I’m like that all the time?” Pierre seemed somewhat stern, and I felt myself steel slightly. He then melted into a laugh, his eyes crinkling a bit at the sides. It was kinda cute, honestly. “I’m just kidding! I mean, well, Monsieur Pierre is a persona, that part is serious.” He paused a moment, and I didn’t say anything, as I wasn’t sure how to respond. “You look lovely,” he added.

“Overdone, really,” I mumbled, annoyed already at Miette.

The two of us sat at a small, round table, and we ordered drinks. Pierre got a raspberry lemon iced tea, and I got iced coffee. I definitely envisioned him as a fruity drinks guy, and felt pleased that my suspicions were correct at least thus far. Hopefully my second suspicion would be settled soon as well!

“I bet you’re wondering why I wanted you to come meet me today,” Pierre began. I nodded. Finally, the mystery would be revealed! “Actually, I very much enjoyed your performances during the last TriPokalon. I’m surprised though after all of those attacks, you were able to make it here.”

“Well, I was in the hospital, but I’m here now!” I announced proudly.

He laughed. “It’s very impressive! And you are impressive too.”

Long pause. Oh no, what if Miette was right—

“I wanted to get to know you a bit more,” Pierre said. “Outside of the competition sphere.”

Oh no…!

“Right,” I said. “As friends.”

Pierre didn’t say anything. Did he not hear me? Awkward. As I tried to think of something – anything! – to get me out of this mess, I heard a tapping at the window. When I whipped around to look… nothing was there.

“I am from Snowbelle City, originally,” he began. “I left to go on my journey at age 11, as I couldn’t stand the place and its constant winter. But then I journeyed in Lumiose City, and realized that that’s where I had to live. That was about five years ago.”

Doing the math… so he would be 16 now. Miette was right… again! As I realized this, I heard more tapping at the window. A flash of blue just outside the window, that had to be—

“Miette!” I shouted. Indeed, the blue-head sat just outside the window, trying to flatten herself as much as possible to escape eyeshot. “I swear to everything…” She scuttled away, realizing that she had been discovered. “I’m sorry, Pierre. My friend can be so rude.”

“That’s okay,” he replied, smiling. “So tell me about you?”

I sighed. Everything about my Kalos self was fiction. A story, one that I continued to write as the days went on. “Well, I’m from Ambrette Town, where my dad studies fossils and my mom takes care of the house. Though some time before I was born, she was an expert Coordinator and PokeBlock maker. And I just started my journey last month. That’s really it.”

Pierre seemed surprised. “You just started last month? _Tres bien!_ You are already amazing at performing!”

I felt myself flush, partially from the compliment, but also partially from the lie it supported. “Well, thanks. I’ve always wanted to do this, so I’ve been practicing for longer than I’ve been travelling.”

We chatted for a bit longer: him telling me about his Klefki and how they got their start in show business, and how he found travelling the country to be a far better “home” than actually settling down in Lumiose City, or anywhere else. I learned about the trench coat (it wasn’t quite my idea… but I can’t complain too much). I told him about my journey thus far, and how I’d met some interesting people along the way, even only a month in. An hour passed pretty quickly, and we approached two, before Pierre finally said, “You should get some rest tonight if you are to perform tomorrow!”

I checked my HoloCaster – it was already almost 10pm! “Right! I’d better get back now. But I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

Pierre flashed me a smile. “That you will.”

After I returned to the Coumarine Inn, I fielded some questions from Serena and Miette, but mostly I waved them off and got ready for bed on a sleepless night. With the soft glow of the moon making its way into our room, I wondered what the next day could possibly have in store for us.

\--

The competition the next day started without incident. We all prepared for the styling round, for which Serena seemed extremely nervous.

“Everything’s gonna be fine! Just trust in your Pokemon and yourself,” I told the girl.

Serena managed to nod, and watched as Miette completed her appeal round. She had Espurr stand on top of Slurpuff, and the purple feline Pokemon had ribbons trailing behind it, high enough in the air to prevent Slurpuff from tripping. A soft Fairy Wind surrounded them, Espurr’s psychic abilities keeping the sparkling going in small waves.

Then, it was Serena’s turn.

“Give it your all!” I said to her back. She turned around, waved weakly, and continued onwards. Miette returned to me, and neither she nor I could have imagined what would happen next— 

“Serena!” Miette and I gasped, watching Fennekin go down on stage. I could tell they had practiced so hard, and for this to happen…!

The girl stood in shock, unmoving. Fennekin stayed down, surrounded by beads and other things that had fallen off. The ribbon was just a smidge too long for the small fox Pokemon, who had stepped on it and caused it to unravel. Serena, after finally regaining her ability to move, ran to Fennekin and grabbed it in her arms.

Serena returned to the waiting area, her normally cheery, soft face stony.

“Serena…” I began weakly.

She shook her head. “I’m okay,” she said, forcing a smile. She then bolted from the arena, and without thinking, I followed behind.

\--

“Would you like a coffee?” I asked the distraught girl.

She looked at me as if realizing for the first time that I had followed her. “What about your appeal, Hoshiko?”

I waved that off. “No worries. There’s another shot for me soon.”

We stood directly in front of another of Coumarine’s restaurants, this one right on the water. I pointed out the beautiful view and after that, it didn't take too much for Serena to give in to my offer.

“I… I can’t believe that Fennekin worked so hard, and… and that happened!” she sighed. “I should have realized that the ribbon was too long for her!”

“Well, maybe,” I replied. “But also, that was your first time, and Fennekin did look very cute, so clearly you have good taste. You just have to pair the good taste with practicality.”

Serena nodded. The girl still seemed very distracted.

“You know what might cheer you up? And me too, actually?” I offered. Serena shook her head. “A Pokemon battle. What do you think?”

“W—what!” she gasped. “A battle? Now?”

“Sure, why not?” I asked her. I honestly didn’t know why I suggested it, but somehow, it seemed like a good idea.

We managed to find a battlefield near the café. The beautiful ocean view served as our backdrop, and the battle began!

“Go, Fennekin!”

“Spritzee, give it your all!”

The two Pokemon emerged from their Pokeballs in flashes of light. Spritzee came out with a flourish, somersaulting in the air and hovering just above the ground in front of me. Fennekin seemed confused, and the fox Pokemon looked back at its trainer with a cock of its head and a soft, "Fen?" 

In response, Serena simply said to her Pokemon, “Let’s battle!”

The fire fox nodded then, looking back towards the field and straight at Spritzee.

“Spritzee, use Tackle!”

“Fennekin, dodge!”

The fox Pokemon gracefully evaded my Pokemon’s attack, landing directly back on its feet. Spritzee flew just past Fennekin and started an arc back towards the fox.

“Now, Flamethrower!”

“Fairy Wind it back at her!”

Spritzee released its sparkling breath at the fire, but it didn’t seem to do much good. If only Miette were here, she’d have some sarcastic comment about type matchups and “didn’t you pay attention in school!”

… wait, did I actually hear that part?

“Fairy isn’t very effective against Fire!” Miette whined. I turned to face the girl. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Flamethrower overtake Fairy Wind and slam right into Spritzee. 

“The TriPokalon?” I asked her.

“Some girl named Shauna won,” she reported back.

Serena’s spirits seemed lifted by that news. “Oh, I’m so glad it was her!” she said.

“Echoed Voice!” I commanded while Serena was distracted.

“What—”

The attack hit Fennekin, though admittedly for minimal damage. I repeated the command, to which Serena replied, “Hidden Power!”

The two attacks clashed in midair, and since Echoed Voice had powered up, it beat back the Hidden Power. Fennekin fell from the combined force of both attacks, and barely managed to get back up.

“One more Echoed Voice!”

Serena seemed nervous, but pensive. She then snapped back into it, exclaiming, “Fennekin, cloak yourself in Flamethrower and tackle the Spritzee!”

Despite the strength of the Echoed Voice on its third use, somehow, the Flamethrower shielded Fennekin from the attack! It connected with Spritzee, and unfortunately the fairy Pokemon couldn’t take the hit and fainted.

“That was amazing, Serena!” I exclaimed.

She definitely seemed in lifted spirits after winning that battle, running over to Fennekin, who jumped into her arms.

“You used Fennekin’s abilities to your advantage there,” I said. She looked at me somewhat quizzically. “As a fire type Pokemon, it wouldn’t take much damage from a fire attack, especially its own. So by using that knowledge, you showed how much you know and understand Fennekin as a Pokemon.”

Serena stood for a moment, taking in the compliment. Then she smiled and said, “Thank you so much, Hoshiko!” The girl hugged me and then announced while running towards the Pokemon Center, “I’m going to meet Ash and the others now!”

“Bye!” Miette and I called out. Miette then came over to me. “That was a nice thing you did.”

“What?”

“Battling Serena to draw out her teamwork with Fennekin and complimenting her right where she felt she went wrong during the TriPokalon,” Miette clarified.

Miette was right. I had done that, though unintentional it was. Collecting Spritzee in my arms, I told the girl, “Let’s also head over to the Pokemon Center and get ready to go to Laverre City.”

“Right!” Miette chirped, chattering to me all the way there.


	7. Home and Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star reflects.

**_Home and Heart_ ** _  
July_

As Miette and I headed towards Laverre City, I suddenly felt at home. The city lay underneath a canopy of deciduous trees, some of which had buildings resting within their trunks. Nature and the city melded together to become one, a stark contrast to Lumiose and the other cities we had gone through on our journey so far. Spritzee – who had gotten into the habit of popping out of its Pokeball and resting on my shoulder – seemed to feel the same, chirping and drawing loops in the sky.

“Laverre City is so beautiful!” I announced. Spritzee nodded as well. “It’s just so down to earth, so natural!”

“Right,” Miette said. She had been listening to me say things like this all day, so her dismissiveness at this point was kind of a given. “Let’s go find Ruby. Do you think he’s still here—”

As we approached the gym and Miette tried to finish her question, we walked into none other than the subject of her inquiry. Truly, when I say “walked into”…

“Ouch!” I yelped, slamming directly into the topic of conversation.

“Watch where you—” Rubeus began, then after rubbing his forehead, he actually looked and saw me. “Oh, Hoshiko,” he began. “I didn’t expect to see you here, sorry.”

“Really?” I felt myself grind out. “Did you expect to see us anywhere again?”

I didn’t quite understand why I was being so harsh, but Rubeus looked ashamed. 

“I’m sorry about leaving you guys at Coumarine City. I promise I have an explanation.”

“Let’s hear it, then,” I said.

“I can’t. Not yet.”

Though I still felt some anger and frustration with the boy, I’d never seen him quite so crestfallen before. So I managed to stop myself and change the subject. “Your gym battle?” I asked.

“I lost,” he stated simply. “Valerie can talk to her Pokemon. That’s not fair.”

“What?” Miette asked. I’d almost forgotten she was there. “Wait, you mean like, literally talk to them?”

“Yes, literally,” Rubeus sighed. “Anyway, fairy types are crazy strong. You wouldn’t think that just from looking at them, but…”

Spritzee jumped off my shoulder and stared down Rubeus, almost as if daring him to continue. I felt myself laugh as Rubeus yelped, “I was impressed by the fairies, I said!”

“Well, since Hosh and I both have fairy Pokemon, perhaps we can help you come up with strategies,” Miette suggested. “Send out your Pokemon so we can see what we’ve got.”

Miette… serious? Level-headed? How out of character! As I pondered this, Rubeus sent out his team: Swampert, Tropius, Pikachu, and Solrock.

“Right, and what does Valerie have?” Miette inquired.

“Mawile, Mr. Mime, and Sylveon,” Rubeus replied.

“Well, Swampert is great for Mawile…” Miette began. Well, she continued from there, but I didn’t much care for the book knowledge stuff, so I found myself daydreaming instead. A sudden shout snapped me out of my daydream:

“I’ve got it! Thanks, Miette,” Rubeus said, flashing her a smile.

I felt annoyed again, watching them. Why did I have to get pulled out of my thoughts for this? “Are you two done yet?”

Both Rubeus and Miette stared at me, confused. “You okay, Hosh?” Miette asked.

“I’m fine, but this is boring,” I replied.

“If this is so boring, then why are you standing here anyway!?” Rubeus snapped. His anger only served to fuel mine, and I barely registered Miette out of the corner of my eye, as she shrank to the side. 

“Guys…” I heard Miette murmur, but I didn’t much care what came after that.

“You know what, you’re right! I’m outta here.”

I turned away from them and headed towards wherever. I stopped in front of one of the trees that had captured my attention earlier, one with a door in its trunk. I felt myself opening the door, and as it closed, little bells clinked musically.

“Welcome~” A young blonde woman sang.

I turned to stare at her. Then around. Was I in a clothes shop?

“Laverre Boutique has everything unique and whatever you could possibly need…k,” she continued.

I laughed. “That was pretty great, actually.”

She laughed as well, thankfully. “Well thank you! I’m Clarissa, and you’re the first customer we’ve had today. Tuesdays are pretty slow.”

Tuesday? Huh. I looked at the calendar, which read Tuesday, July 19th. It had been a while since I’d cared about the date at all, so it was weird to know what it actually was.

“Looking for anything in particular?” Clarissa asked.

I checked out what she was wearing – clothes from this shop, it appeared. Well, that would make sense. She wore a slightly baggy purple-and-pink top with a ribbon accenting her waist, a very short, pink, ruffled skirt, red high socks, and black lace-up boots. Not bad, really. Kind of my style… if I wore something other than jeans and a t-shirt, anyway.

“Well, you look pretty cute, so maybe something similar,” I said. Why did I say that? I didn’t need any clothes!

She flushed. “That’s very kind! Everything I’m wearing is from here – I get the employee discount, after all!”

Clarissa led me over to the clothing racks, showing me skirt and shirt after skirt and shirt. Somehow, and I truly don’t know how this happened, I found myself wearing a completely different outfit… and actually liking it.

“Tah-dah!” Clarissa exclaimed. “How do you like it?”

I wore something I never thought I would in my lifetime – a turquoise and blue version of the ribbon smock top, a ruffled white skirt, bright orange tights, and white mary-janes. The shoes were surprisingly comfortable, and wearing tights allowed me to sit however I wanted, despite the skirt. Those were really the two main criteria for clothing, at least for me.

“You look fun!” Clarissa giggled.

“Did I look boring before?” I asked her, somewhat sarcastically.

“Yeah, actually,” she replied. Well, that was nice… She giggled, then added, “If you buy everything that you’ve got on, you qualify for today’s special: a free hair accessory!”

I bought the clothes, and selected a gold hair clip in the shape of a star, my namesake. As I put my hair up with the clip, Clarissa let me know that I could recycle my old clothes at any Pokemon Center. Were they really that bad? I did recycle the old outfit, as I didn’t have any way to carry it with me, really. I already had my TriPokalon dress and the red dress that Miette forced me to buy. Plus, my old clothes were getting a bit worn… and had always been a bit boring.

After getting used to seeing my orange tights in the mirror, I headed out towards the gym, where I imagined Rubeus and Miette would be at that moment. Inside, my suspicions were confirmed, as Rubeus had decided to have a rematch against… some weirdo woman, apparently. Did she have wings?

“Hosh…iko?” a hesitant Miette asked. She came closer, then yelled, “Hosh! You look so cute! Orange tights, wow!”

“Keep it down, will ya?” I asked the girl.

“No more ratty t-shirt and jeans?” she asked in return.

“In the clothes bin at the Pokemon Center,” I replied. Miette fist pumped in the air, as if celebrating some kind of victory. Turning back to the battlefield, she quickly sobered from her overly excited stance, instructing, “Anyway, check out Ruby’s battle. This woman, Valerie, has the power to talk with her Pokemon. Like she’s actually making noises at them and they’re responding to her.”

I looked down to where Miette pointed to see Valerie murmuring to her pink Eevee looking Pokemon. Across from her stood Rubeus and his Pikachu.

“Pikachu, we won’t back down! Quick Attack!” he exclaimed.

Pink Eevee jumped and dodged immediately. The gym leader hadn’t even said anything, so how did it know to—

“Sylveon, Disarming Voice!” Valerie commanded.

The Pink Eevee – Sylveon, I guess – launched a sonic wave towards Pikachu. It slammed directly into the electric mouse Pokemon at full force.

“Pikachu…” Rubeus murmured. He then shook his head, and called, “Let’s keep going! Thunderbolt!”

“Dodge and use Swift!”

Again, Rubeus’ attack failed, as Swift made its mark. Miette groaned. “Ugh, he’s been battling like this the whole time! This is so unlike him, don’t you think? He seems…” Miette trailed off.

“Seems?” I prodded.

“Oh, right,” she said. “That makes sense, actually.”

“ _What_ makes sense—” 

“Come on Ruby!” Valerie announced from her side of the field. “You wanted a rematch, so bring it! Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!”

Rubeus did seem kind of out of it, now that Valerie pointed it out. He snapped back into it, yelling, “Pikachu, jump to dodge!” Pikachu managed to follow the command, and Ruby followed up with, “Unleash a Discharge!”

“Draw in close and use Swift,” Valerie exclaimed.

Sylveon – man, that thing was fast! quickly closed the gap between the two. However, Piakchu’s Discharge attack managed to hit its mark. Still, somehow seeming unfazed, Sylveon launched a Swift attack at close range. Pikachu fell to its forepaws, but still seemed to have some fight left…!

“Finish with Giga Impact!” Valerie called.

“Slam!” Rubeus yelled.

Both Pokemon attacked each other, but too tired to continue, Pikachu fell. Sylveon seemed much weaker than before, though, barely standing on shaky legs. At noticing this, Rubeus’ lips curled up into an almost imperceptible smirk.

“You seem to be getting more focused,” Valerie observed.

“Just in time for victory,” Rubeus replied, his voice thick with confidence. Plucking a Pokeball from his belt, he announced, “Time to show ‘em, Solrock!”

“What’s the score right now?” I asked Miette.

The girl thought a moment, tapping one finger to her chin, then replied, “Well, Swampert took out Mawile, and weakened Mr. Mime enough for Pikachu to finish it off. So now they’re both on their last Pokemon.”

“Well, that’s good, then!” I exclaimed. Miette shook her head.

“No, not quite.” I must have looked confused, because then the girl continued, “When Ruby and I discussed it before, he was supposed to finish off Sylveon with Pikachu’s speed. None of his other Pokemon come close to Sylveon when it comes to that. Whatever happens next is outside what we had originally planned.”

I looked down at Rubeus, who stared straight ahead at his Solrock. The Meteorite Pokemon hummed “Sollll” and spun around before suspending in midair. “Maybe he’s got another card up his sleeve with Solrock.”

Miette shrugged. “True. Actually, a trainer gave Ruby a TM, and I don’t think we’ve seen that move yet.”

“What move was it?" I asked, but Rubeus’ command cut off any answer that Miette might have given.

“Get it while it’s resting, Solrock! Rock Throw!”

The sun-shaped rock Pokemon spun around the battlefield before coming back towards Sylveon, scoring a direct hit. Sylveon hadn’t even lifted a paw in defense, and noting my confusion, Miette explained that Giga Impact required the user to rest before its next move.

“Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!”

“Keep spinning Solrock! We’re going to use that move…”

Sylveon tried everything in its power to hit Solrock, but though it was slow, the constant spinning caused it to go faster and faster. Eventually the intertwining Pokemon had to stop, completely disoriented by the spinning.

“Now!” Rubeus commanded, and Solrock surrounded itself in a silvery hue.

“What…?” I murmured. I turned to Miette for an explanation, but the girl had her mouth wide open, staring. Guess she didn’t know either.

“Gyro Ball!” Rubeus clarified.

Solrock finally stopped spinning and launched the silvery orb it had created towards Sylveon.

“Get out of the way!” Valerie exclaimed.

Sylveon, however, was much too dizzy to even register the command. A direct hit! The fairy Pokemon fell to the ground, unable to continue.

“Sylveon is unable to battle. Solrock wins! The winner is challenger Rubeus Senri from Littleroot Town!” the battle judge announced.

“Phew!” Rubeus finally relaxed himself, then exclaimed, “We did it!”

Solrock came over and lightly tackled its trainer, who chuckled.

“Let’s go down there!” Miette chirped.

I felt somewhat reluctant, especially after our fight, but I decided to follow her down to where Rubeus was. He spoke with Valerie, who gave him a badge in exchange for his victory. Rubeus then turned, his eyes lingering on me and my new outfit for a moment (but only the quickest of moments, as he immediately turned to Miette), before he exclaimed. “Did you two see that!?”

Miette grinned. “Yes! I didn’t realize that Solrock knew Gyro Ball,” the girl said.

“We just learned it before this battle,” Rubeus replied. “You know that boy we met after… well…” Rubeus hesitated, and I think both Miette and I knew what he was referring to. “Well, anyway, he gave me the TM for Gyro Ball, which I was able to use to teach that move to Solrock. He said that’s how he won here.”

“Ah, that’s what move it was!” Miette exclaimed.

The three of us headed out of the gym. Rubeus and I still hadn’t exchanged any words, and though it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, I think all three of us were aware of the strangeness in the air.

“Hey, so,” Miette finally began. I felt myself flinch. “You two need to say sorry and make this journey less weird for me.”

“We have to apologize for you…?” Rubeus asked, frowning.

I couldn’t help laughing at that. “I’m pretty sure there’s another reason I should apologize!”

Rubeus looked at me expectantly. As I got ready to say something, I felt myself stop. My eyes moved towards Miette, who met my gaze and nodded, seeming to understand what I wanted to say to her better than I did. “Right, I’ll leave you two for a moment.” The girl headed off to the Pokemon Center, leaving the two of us standing there in the beautiful town.

While admiring the houses around us, I finally said, “This place reminds me of home.” And it did: the small-town feel, the nature overtaking the town in ways, the friendliness of the people around.

“It is a lot like Fortree City,” Rubeus agreed. After a comfortable pause, I finally started to talk, hoping that the words that would come out were the ones I wanted.

“Listen, I’m sorry for getting mad earlier,” I said. “It hurt when you left. I wanted you to see my TriPokalon because, I don’t know, something about you being there makes me want to try my hardest.”

Rubeus’ lips pulled into a small, sad smile. “I’m sorry too.”

“Can I know that reason?” I asked him, referring to the reason he’d almost mentioned earlier about why he needed to leave at Coumarine City.

He hesitated. “Uh… I don’t know if you’ll understand, but I didn’t want to be around when…”

“When what?”

He started blushing, and suddenly I felt confused. What was so hard for him to admit? “When you went on that date…” he muttered.

And then, at that moment, something clicked for me. “Were you jealous?” I asked him.

“Hmm…” he mused. “I’m not sure why,” he admitted. “Something about it made me feel weird. Anyway, how did that go?”

“Which, the TriPokalon or the date?”

“… both, really,” he managed to say.

“The date went all right. Pierre is actually a pretty normal guy!” I exclaimed, laughing. Rubeus didn’t look amused, so I stopped. “But I don’t think I’ll go out with him a second time. Though he’s a nice looking guy, and he seems super strange during TriPokalon, he was kind of boring.” Rubeus looked less uncomfortable, so I continued, “The TriPokalon… well, I didn’t actually perform, so I guess it didn’t matter that you weren’t there.”

Rubeus looked surprised. “What… what happened?”

“Serena…” I murmured, then told him the whole story of Serena’s failed appeal and the aftermath.

He smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth turning just enough for me to notice a change. “That was a good thing you did, Hoshiko.”

I felt my cheeks get hot. “Well, I usually sort out my emotions through battles and contests, so I thought it might help.”

“Well, you wanna do me a favor now?” Rubeus asked. I nodded. “Can we battle? I have some things I’d like to sort out, too.”

“Sure…?” I replied, confused.

The two of us found a more secluded area in town, and since it was an unofficial battle we didn’t need anyone to judge. The sakura trees surrounded us, and the air of serenity made me feel calmer, too.

“Tropius, let’s go!” he exclaimed.

Ah, that made sense – he used all of his other Pokemon in the gym battle, so Tropius was his only one at full health.

“Give it your all, Amaura!” I called.

“Grass and flying versus rock and ice…” I heard Rubeus mutter. “This’ll be an interesting matchup!”

“Amaura, Calm Mind!” I commanded.

The little dinosaur Pokemon obliged, the scales around its eyes completely draining of color.

“Tropius, Magical Leaf!”

“Amaura, we’ve trained for this! Take Down into the leaves!”

Rubeus seemed surprised, but only for a moment. He must have remembered that I’m the Rough and Tumble Coordinator, after all.

“Get out of the way!” he shouted.

Tropius flapped its leaf wings, and easily dodged the attack.

“Well, that’s not fair,” I whined, but recovered quickly. “Amaura, use Ancient Power!”

At my command, Amaura released a large rocky tomb from the depths of the earth. As the rocks continued to form, the fossil Pokemon let out a cry, its scales deepening to a blood red. Tropius, though faster than Amaura, was not fast enough to escape the rocky trap.

“Tropius, keep going! Use Body Slam!”

I realized his strategy with that – from the air, Body Slam would do a ton of damage. But luckily for us, being a rock type definitely had its advantages. I wasn’t going to have Amaura dodge an attack like that!

“Frost Breath above you!” I yelled.

Tropius descended into the cold breath, sustaining massive damage. However, the attack connected. All seemed fine at first, but then—

“Ama!” Amaura cried out, its body twisting unnaturally.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Amaura tried to nod in response, but then couldn’t.

“Paralysis is a common second effect of Body Slam,” Rubeus informed. “Don’t you know that, Hoshiko?”

My cheeks grew hot. “Hey, not all of us can be know-it-alls like you!” I snapped.

Rubeus shrugged then, clearly choosing not to pursue that point. Instead, he replied via command: “Magical Leaf!”

“Amaura, Frost Breath ‘em back!”

The powder blue Pokemon steadied itself and prepared to attack, but paralysis took over and the attack failed. As a result, Magical Leaf connected, and Amaura flinched backwards from the heavy damage.

“Amaura…” I muttered, as it cried out and fell to one knee.

“We’ve almost got this, Tropius. Leaf Storm!”

Despite the fact that I wasn’t familiar with the attack itself, it sounded powerful. I realized that Leaf Storm must be their finishing move. Though I wasn’t much one to dodge, I knew there wasn’t much choice here.

“Dodge, Amaura!” I shouted.

The poor Pokemon seemed to want to do as I asked, but couldn’t move. Paralysis struck again! Why did I make Amaura take that Body Slam earlier? This battle could have been completely different! There was no way that it could take an all-powerful attack like Leaf Storm…

… except it did. Amaura struggled to its feet, and seemed exhausted beyond anything. I’d seen this once before, a long time ago…

“No…” I murmured, remembering that day at school. The day when Amaura lost control.

The boy must not have noticed my worry, as he commanded, “Tropius, finish it with Magical Leaf!”

The fossil Pokemon didn’t wait for me to respond; instead, it charged towards Tropius with a Take Down. Rubeus looked stunned, while I cried out, “No, Amaura! You don’t have to do this!”

Ignoring my command, Amaura blasted through the attack, then connected with Tropius. Amaura’s health had to be extremely low by now, but it seemed more angry than tired, or anything else. Its scales flashed scarlet, the same color that they had on that day.

“Amaura’s stamina is pretty impressive!” Rubeus mused. “Tropius, try Magical Leaf again!”

“No…”

Amaura charged towards Tropius again without command. Frozen to the spot, I could only look across the battlefield. I caught a panicked look in Rubeus’ eyes; it seemed he’d realized that something was wrong as well. 

“Wait, Tropius, stop—”

Before Tropius could stop anything, Amaura connected with another Take Down. It kept charging into Tropius, its rage completely taking over.

“STOP!” I shrieked, running towards the two of them. Rubeus could only watch on in horror as I jumped between the two Pokemon, taking Amaura’s next Take Down attack. Stars flashed before my eyes as I immediately fell to my knees. I’d never taken a full-force Take Down from a rock-type Pokemon before, and man did it hurt!

“Hoshiko!” Rubeus exclaimed, and started moving towards me.

Finally, at the cry of my name, Amaura came back to consciousness. Its eyes flickered and its scales cooled. Pale blue quickly replaced the bright red, and with the sadness even clearer in its voice, it murmured, “Ama…”

“It’s okay,” I croaked. I hadn’t quite realized how bad the pain was until I’d tried to talk just then.

“Hoshiko…” Rubeus murmured, reaching a hand down towards me. After considering it, I took it and he helped me stand. “Are you all right?”

“Were you even paying any attention?” I weakly joked. He didn’t smile. “I have been better. At least I didn’t almost suffocate myself this time.”

“What happened just now?” he asked me. Amaura looked regretful, and I didn’t want it to have to hear and relive this story, so I recalled the fossil Pokemon. Rubeus recalled his Tropius as well, as it was completely spent. We started towards the Pokemon Center, me leaning on Rubeus for some support, and I started my story.

“This happened once before,” I began. “That’s why I usually have Amaura use Calm Mind before a battle begins. I was 10, and I’d only had Amaura for a few months. I battled this bully at my school, and Amaura fought past its limits. Then it rampaged and didn’t stop until the principal’s Pokemon knocked it out.” I paused, feeling tears pulling at my eyes. “I can’t even control my Pokemon… I can’t keep it from hurting others… or even itself…!”

Finally, the tears slipped past my eyes and I started to cry. Stunned, Rubeus at first said and did nothing, then awkwardly tried to hug me without getting snot all over him.

“Hey, it’s all right,” he said. “You were a kid.”

“I’m not a kid now!” I snapped. “And it happened again. So clearly nothing has changed in those four years.”

“That’s not true,” Rubeus murmured, gently stroking my hair as if to comfort me. “You’ve even changed in the months since I’ve met you.”

I stared at him. What did he mean?

“When we first met, you seemed a lot colder. Now you’ve warmed up quite a bit, and you’re pretty friendly with me and Miette,” he explained.

“I’d just met you,” I replied. He shook his head.

“No… it’s not just that. I think this journey is helping you open up to others.”

I stared at him blankly. I wanted to argue that he didn’t have any idea what he was talking about, that he’d only really known me for about a month, that this was just how I was when I warmed up to people… but I couldn’t say anything. I think I knew somewhere deep down that he was right – I had changed, for the better, even in this short time. Which meant that I must have changed even more in the years it had been since that day.

“Also, you didn’t do the same thing today as you did four years ago,” he pointed out. “Instead of helplessly standing by and waiting for someone to stop Amaura’s rampage, you jumped in and stopped it yourself.” 

I fumbled to find a response, only to realize that I had none. He was right.

We’d made it to the Pokemon Center by this time, and stood outside, just looking at one another. Finally, I spoke up.

“Thanks, Rubeus,” I said. Somehow, that name seemed too impersonal for the boy who’d just seen me cry. “I mean… Ruby.”

He flushed and turned away. “Thank you for battling with me,” he muttered. At least, that’s what it sounded like, as his muttering in the other direction didn’t make it easy to hear him. As he turned back towards me and opened his mouth to say something more, the doors to the Pokemon Center opened up.

“There you two are!” came Miette’s voice from the doorway. The girl had changed into a new outfit – a magenta coatdress with white accents, light pink tights, and black lace up boots, all clearly from the same boutique I’d visited earlier. “That took a long time, so you two have better worked out your differences!”

I exchanged a glance with Rubeus – Ruby, I mean – and we both started laughing.

“What!” Miette snapped, though she smiled as well. Her smile quickly became a frown, as she seemed to take a full survey of my appearance. “What happened to you, Hosh?” she asked.

I looked down. My tights were no longer the bright orange they had been just a couple hours earlier. I imagined the rest of me looked as dingy as those tights.

“I’ll tell you over dinner,” I replied. “But for now, I’m starved! Let’s get our Pokemon healed up and get something to eat!”

Ruby nodded in agreement, and the three of us stayed in the Pokemon Center for the night.


	8. From the Old to the New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star meets some competition.

**_From the Old to the New_ ** _  
July_

“There’s going to be another TriPokalon back in Lumiose City!” Miette exclaimed, rousing me from my comfortable slumber. Groaning, I turned to the clock and realized—

“Miette, really? It’s 8am,” I grumbled.

“A great way to start the day!” she exclaimed further. “Ruby brought you something, by the way.”

I struggled to sit up, curious to what this something could be. Miette held two coffee cups in her hand, and held one out to me. “This is for you! Some sugar free something.”

“Thanks,” I said, managing a smile. I couldn’t figure out why Ruby did such nice things for me, but hey, I wasn’t going to question it! After a few sips of the drink, I finally asked, “So, TriPokalon in Lumiose City?”

“Yes!” Miette replied with gusto. “In four days! It’s a special contest that’s going to take place in front of the Prism Tower.”

Excited by the prospect of heading back to Lumiose City, I got myself out of bed. “Well, let’s tell Ruby and get on our way!”

“Great!” Miette chirped. Then, she frowned in concentration. “Wait… did you say Ruby?”

“That’s his name, isn’t it?” I asked, confused. Did I get his name wrong? I mean, I hadn’t finished my coffee yet, but I couldn’t have been that far off—

“I mean, instead of Rubeus?” she prodded.

Oh, right. I’d slipped into calling him that nickname pretty quickly. “Well, he likes Ruby better, at any rate,” I explained. She shrugged, and didn’t push the matter any further.

We checked out of our room and found Ruby pretty quickly, on a battlefield just behind the Pokemon Center. He had Pikachu and Tropius battling each other when we arrived.

“Hi Ruby!” Miette and I greeted.

He turned expectantly with a, “Good morning! Have you two decided where we’re off to next?”

“Lumiose City,” Miette replied. “There’s a TriPokalon there.”

“Sounds good to me!” the boy exclaimed. “We can go from there to Santalune City, where there’s another gym.”

With that easily settled, the three of us had breakfast then headed off back towards Lumiose City. We all wanted to have more time in the Kalos region’s capitol city, so we set off as quickly as possible. It took us three of the four days we had – we’d gotten into our fair share of battles, and arrived just on time to register for the competition. 

The next morning, we all met in the center of Lumiose City. The courtyard had been repurposed into an arena for competition. Sightseers and TriPokalon aficionados surrounded us, cheering loudly. With the beauty of Prism Tower behind us, everything seemed ideal for an amazing competition.

I caught Pierre’s eyes with my own, but only for a moment; he looked away almost immediately. “And now’s the moment we’ve been waiting for: here’s the Prism Tower TriPokalon! First up, I’d like to see contestants number one and two!”

I faced a young woman dressed in a two-piece outfit, which billowed about her like clouds in a summer sky. Her bright, aquamarine hair seemed familiar somehow. Had I seen her somewhere before? Maybe on TV?

“The theme for this competition: Pokemon Contest, celebrating the peace and unity between the Kalos and Hoenn regions,” Pierre announced.

Wait… he said Pokemon Contest! I had a great advantage! The girl next to me practically buzzed with energy, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“Traditionally, Pokemon Contests celebrate the natural ability of a Pokemon rather than dancing a performance choreographed by their trainer,” the blond explained, spinning his staff in one hand. Klefki flew around his head once, and then he continued, “Well, let’s begin!” … Except he didn’t really explain what we were supposed to do, or why I was on stage at the same time as someone else!

“Gooooo Ali!” my opponent exclaimed, sending out a fluffy bird Pokemon. I recognized the sky blue bird Pokemon as Altaria, a Pokemon native to Hoenn. Somehow it seemed the girl had matched her clothing to her Pokemon’s appearance… kind of strange.

“Okay, I guess…” I mumbled, still confused as to what was happening. Pierre acted like he didn’t even see me, so that wasn’t helpful. Just because I’d never called him back after our date! … I guessed. “Give it your all, Amaura!”

I realized then that both us girls dressed in pale blue, as I was wearing my lacy dress as per usual for TriPokalon, and we both chose pale blue colored Pokemon. Great.

“So, do you know what we’re doing here?” I asked the girl. I almost instantly regretted it, as she broke out in a huge, child-like grin.

“Of course I do, I’m Lisia, Contest Spectacular Idol!” she exclaimed, striking a pose. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. What was this girl… “Ali, start the appeal with Dragon Dance!”

Okay, I know what contests are, but they don’t seem to have anything to do with what’s going on here! Someone tell me what I’m supposed to do! “Amaura, Calm Mind!” I commanded, staying on the safe side.

“Now, Tailwind!” Lisia chirped.

Ali flew around the stage, a strong gust seeming to propel her forwards. Was I supposed to be battling the Pokemon, or…?

“Jump up in the air, Amaura! Frost Breath!” I commanded. “Then spin!”

The fossil Pokemon did just that, spinning like a wheel and surrounding itself in a sparkling powder. Ali's rushing around the stage enhanced the effects of Amaura’s icy attack, and sparkles rushed from one side of the stage to the other.

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive!” Lisia commented, nodding. “Time for us to step it up too! Outrage!”

Ali cloaked itself in an orange glow, diving around the stage with great strength and power. It then headed out towards the lake, continuing to spin and dive. Right, the advantage of using a flying Pokemon was that they had use of the entire field… Amaura seemed crestfallen, and I hoped no one noticed us at that particular moment. We had to recover from this, and fast!

“Amaura! We haven’t finished giving it our all!” I shouted, using my first and usually best idea. Thankfully it worked; Amaura perked up, its scales a slight yellow. “Ancient Power!”

“Let’s keep going!” Lisia cheered. Something about the girl seemed so… too… saccharine, and I could barely hold back annoyance at her chirpy voice. “Come back towards the tower, and use Aerial Ace!”

Despite my annoyance at her ego and her enthusiasm, her contest combinations weren’t bad at all. I wondered how Amaura and I would fare against her. Though it was quite high in the air, perched atop the Ancient Power column, I managed to lock eyes with my starter Pokemon, and it nodded confidently. 

Four years of training together, working together, and being best friends definitely created that strong of a bond.

“Jump!”

And as if to illustrate that trust, Amaura leapt off of the Ancient Power tower without hesitation. The fossil Pokemon plummeted headfirst towards the pool. I saw the purple in its scales, which alerted me to Amaura’s complete terror at the current situation, but I knew what to do.

“Frost Down!” I commanded.

It had been a while since we’d used that move. Amaura cloaked itself in Frost Breath, and headed towards the pool with reckless abandon. A very rough-and-tumble coordinator thing to do, I assured myself, though I’d never tried anything quite like this with Amaura…

SLAM! Instead of hearing water, it sounded like Amaura had hit concrete full-force. Oh no, what had I done! As the water that had been stirred cleared, I saw Amaura standing atop a patch of ice. The Frost Breath made it safe for Amaura to land! It stood triumphantly on its frozen creation, directly in the middle of the pool.

“Time up!” Pierre announced. “The winner of that round…” Pierre glanced around, seeming to search for some kind of signal from the judges. He must have found it, for he finally continued, “Contestant number two!”

I checked the pin at my dress and the number 2 winked back at me. “We did it!” I exclaimed, running towards Amaura. The fossil Pokemon couldn’t exactly get off of its icy island, but still seemed very pleased with its performance. I recalled it, and my opponent walked with me towards the backstage waiting area. 

“You were amazing!” the aquamarine-haired girl chirped, that overly sweet grin back on her face. Perhaps that was how she normally smiled? But before I could ponder her expression further, a contemplative frown replaced it. “Actually, you look familiar somehow. Have you ever participated in Pokemon Contests in Hoenn?”

I froze. Of course, she’d mentioned that she was a coordinator… so it made sense that she would be from Hoenn. And that she might have seen my performance before too… my performance under _that_ name…!

“I—” I began, but Miette ran over and hugged me before I could get anything out.

“That was right up your alley, Hosh!” she chimed. “Amazing!”

“Where’s Ruby?” I asked her. I was surprised he hadn’t come to congratulate me too. Then I realized how ridiculously self-centered that thought was, and tried to brush it aside.

“Ruby… I don’t know. I saw him earlier,” Miette mused, searching the crowd.

“Did you say Ruby?” Lisia asked, an almost restrained eagerness humming in her voice.

Before I could answer her, Pierre announced the next two contestants, of which Miette was one. After an appeal using her Slurpuff, she advanced as well. Two more appeal rounds later and finally it was time for the second part of the competition!

“Spritzee and Amaura, give it your all!” 

The two Pokemon couldn’t have been more different – one large, clunky, and land-dwelling; one small, fluffy, and floating. After an appeal involving a new move we’d created called Fairy Frost – the combined force of Amaura’s Frost Breath and Spritzee’s Fairy Wind – we completed the appeals and took a bow. Though it was a fun appeal, it didn’t feel as good as the others. When it came to TriPokalon, Amaura was too clumsy and Spritzee too much of a greenhorn; I’d made a mistake in the pairing, this time.

Afterwards, Miette performed with Espurr and Slurpuff. The team stepped up their routine a notch – and not only the Pokemon. Miette did cartwheels – since when could she do that? – and the psychic and fairy abilities of her partners emphasized her newfound nimbleness. Miette’s grand finale involved Espurr using its psychic powers to guide Slurpuff’s Energy Ball attacks above Prism Tower, then causing them to explode and shower around the crowd. I couldn’t help but gasp at how elegant her Pokemons’ moves had become. She had a pretty good chance of winning this time!

I finally found Ruby in the crowd, and went up into the stands to join him.

“You’re not going to go out on stage for the verdict?” he asked.

“I didn’t win. I’m fine sitting here,” I replied. “I think Miette has a pretty good chance, actually.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking away from me and even further away from the stage.

“Did you even see my appeal?” I asked, suddenly suspicious of the boy.

He looked stunned for a moment, then managed to splutter, “Uh, you used Amaura, right?”

“And who else?”

He stared at me, incomprehension plain on his face. “Uh—”

“What were you—!?”

The judging round interrupted my outburst, as purple orbs flew towards my key. There were more than I expected, admittedly, but I already knew that my appeal wouldn’t win me this one.

“The winner is contestant number four! Miette Gateaux of Ambrette Town!” Pierre announced.

“Yes!” Ruby and I exclaimed, high fiving. Miette happily received her second Princess Key. The baker-in-training started jumping up and down in her excitement, and Slurpuff and Espurr jumped up into her arms as they celebrated. Ruby and I went down to join the girl, and as we chatted with her and congratulated her, the crowd died down, leaving only the three of us on-stage.

“You did great, Miette,” Ruby said, smiling. “Those Energy Ball fireworks were beautiful!”

Miette flushed. “Thanks! I felt inspired by the beauty of Prism Tower, and I hope you all were too!” she announced, as if giving a press release. I suppose a Kalos Queen would make plenty of those, and she was now one step closer to that title.

“You really used the field to your advantage,” I noted.

“I wouldn’t have thought of it without seeing you in the last TriPokalon!” Miette returned. “I’ve learned so much from watching you! Thanks for—”

“Ruby…?” 

A voice, both new and yet familiar, entered the conversation. Ruby froze, as he turned slowly to face the source of the voice.

“Ruby, it is you!” the voice exclaimed, and at that point I had to turn out of curiosity. The aquamarine-haired girl that I competed with earlier stood right behind us, waving at Ruby. As she bounded towards us, her oddly bouncy hair and clothes bounced with her. “Long time no see!”

“Who’s this cutie?” Miette asked.

“Uh, well, she…” Ruby stammered in some sort of attempt to explain.

“My name is Analisia Amarin Atalán, Contest Spectacular Idol!” the girl chimed, striking a pose. “But you can call me Lisia, if that’s too long.”

“Yes,” I replied simply. Definitely too long.

“I’m Miette Gateaux,” Miette said. When I didn’t echo her introduction, she added, “And this is Hoshiko Gateaux, my frien—I mean, cousin,” she corrected.

Ruby cast us a suspicious glance at Miette’s slip-up, but Lisia quickly started talking again, seeming unfazed by the odd introduction. “That’s so great! I’m so happy to see you travelling with other people, Ruby!” she exclaimed. She then started counting something on her fingers, looking pensive. “Ah, last time I saw you, when was that?”

Though she seemed to be only asking herself, Ruby replied, “Shortly before I left the Hoenn region.” His voice seemed unnaturally soft, and he shrunk into himself a bit.

“Yes! Right! You came to watch my contest in Lilycove City before we parted ways,” she said, smiling.

For some reason, her chipperness and constant smiling frustrated me. Next to me, Miette tapped a finger to her chin in thought, then finally asked, “Is there something else here that we’re missing?”

Ruby turned away, but Lisia had no reservations about answering. “Well, Ruby and I used to date, if that’s what you mean.”

Wait… what?

“Hosh,” Miette hissed. I turned to stare at her. “You’re clenching your fists.”

Indeed I was. I put my hands on my hips to make sure they stayed open.

“Yes,” Ruby replied hesitantly. “I don’t think we need to talk about this now—”

“Oh, it’s okay~” Lisia sang. “What’s past is past, right Ruru?”

_Ruru?_

Miette gaped at me, and I realized I must have repeated that out loud. Poor Ruby turned something similar to the color of his own name.

“What… what are you doing here, Lissi? I mean, Lisia,” he managed to ask.

_Lissi?_

“I’ve already cleared all five contest categories back in Hoenn, so I thought I’d try my hand at the TriPokalon competitions in Kalos!” Lisia replied enthusiastically, jumping up and down. Every time she jumped, her outfit ruffled. What a ridiculous show.

… was I really this annoyed at someone I’d just met?

“Hey, actually, can I ask you something Ruby?” Lisia asked. She didn’t wait for the boy to answer before continuing, “Can I join you? I don’t really have any friends here and I’d love to have a travelling partner!”

Ruby looked straight at me as he answered, “I don’t know, you’d better ask these ladies first.”

“Actually…” Miette trailed off. Ruby and I broke our eye contact and immediately turned to her, almost as if we’d both forgotten she was there. She didn’t seem bothered by that, though, and continued, “Can we grab a drink? There’s something I’d like to discuss. Lisia, you’re invited as well.”

We all obliged and headed off to the nearest coffee shop, Lysandre Café. Strange name for a place. And pretty strange vibes too… but they did sell a good cup of coffee with no frills, so the place was good enough. After taking a few sips of her hot chocolate, Miette finally spoke up. “I think I’d like to travel separately from you two for a little while.”

I felt myself breathe sharply. “What? But why?”

“It’s been great traveling with you and Ruby, really, Hosh. You’re one of my best friends, after all,” she added, smiling softly to her cup. “However, we both have the same goal right now, and we’re just going to step on each other’s toes if we keep entering the same competitions.”

Though I felt shocked at first, I came to understand her point. Every victory for her was a setback for me, and vice versa.

“So I’d like to set off on my own for a bit. But I will see you at the Master Class competition, and that’s a fact!” Miette yelled sharply, drawing unwanted attention. But in that moment, I didn’t care.

“I’ll see you at the Master Class!” I echoed, high fiving the girl. 

We all stuck around and chatted for a while. I got to know Lisia a bit, and she wasn’t too bad, truthfully, just a little cheery for my taste. Ruby eased more into the conversation with time, finally acting normally again. As we had finished drinking our drinks and the café started to close for the evening, we walked back to the hotel, a gloomy silence hanging over us. Standing in front of our hotel room, I hugged Miette for what felt like ages before she finally said, “This isn’t good-bye forever, you know! I’m only one key away!”

“Right,” I said with a grin. “So you’ll wait for me to get my two?”

“I’m not waiting for anyone!” Miette replied, mirroring my grin with one of her own.

And with that, we slept in the same room for the last time for a long while.


	9. Hats Off for Hoshiko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star learns to share the stage.

**_Hats Off for Hoshiko  
_ ** _July_

“Santalune City!” Lisia exclaimed, jumping. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the girl’s enthusiasm level for… well, everything.

“My next gym battle’s here!” Ruby announced giddily, almost as if the excitement had transferred to him.

“Ooh, or…” Lisia began. “There’s a specialty hat boutique!” The girl giggled happily, looking directly at Ruby. Or, rather, what the boy wore on his head. “I’m sure I can find something better than that…”

“No,” he replied, tugging at his beanie as if to secure it to his head permanently.

“Come on, Hoshi!” Lisia yelled, grabbing my arm and giving me no choice at all. The girl had taken to calling me Hoshi, which I didn’t particularly like. Hoshiko’s the name, Hosh was all right, but that long e sound on Hoshi which didn’t appear in Hosh and got cut off in Hoshiko just didn’t suit me.

She called me Hoshi anyway. Whatever. Not like any of those are my real—

“What do you think about this one?” Lisia asked suddenly, holding out a red and white baseball cap sporting a red Pokeball logo.

“That’s not his style,” I replied.

“What about this?” Lisia insisted, now holding a beige soft brimmed hat.

“He said he didn’t want a new hat,” I reminded.

Lisia pouted. “That’s no good! It’s almost his birthday so we should—”

Wait, what? “When?”

“Uh…” Lisia mumbled. “July 30th!”

July 30th? I checked my HoloCaster. _Friday, July 29th_ it read. So… tomorrow!? 

“Or was it the 31st…” the girl mumbled.

It took all the strength I had not to roll my eyes. “Could it be in August? Or wait, maybe it was in June,” I added sarcastically.

“Well, Ruby is named after the birthstone – at least, I think he mentioned that. And ruby is the birthstone for July. So it’s definitely soon!”

I’d already stopped listening. She had no idea when his birthday actually was.

“I have an idea!” she yelled suddenly. “Let’s compete to see who can get him the better birthday present!”

“And why should we do that?”

“Well, it’s clear we won’t agree on a hat, so let’s just each get one and see which he likes better.”

What a ridiculous idea. He didn’t want one new hat, let alone two! But somehow, I found myself at the merchandise racks, scanning the hats for sale. One caught my eye – a blue camo beanie, which alternated shades of blue, black, and gray. It was a beanie, so not a far departure from what he already wore. And the colors would complement the gray and undertones of blue in his eyes. Those eyes that I'd noticed from the very beginning... 

Wait… what was I thinking!?

“This is stu—”

I turned to yell at Lisia, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

“Ah,” the shopkeeper began, blowing some bangs out of her face. I stared at the girl, who had a vacant look in her dull brown eyes, waiting for her next words. “Your friend bought something and left already.”

Well, okay. If this was really a thing… I picked up the blue camo beanie, paid, and left, stuffing the beanie in a bag pocket. It’d be there until we actually figured out when Ruby’s birthday was. No matter what day, I’d be ready with a present, at any rate.

I walked over to the gym, and before I could even enter, both Ruby and Lisia walked out. I watched the two of them, chatting like old friends, the awkwardness totally absent from their conversation.

“How was your battle?” I asked the boy.

He smiled, showing all of his teeth. “It wasn’t hard at all! Solrock and Tropius are both strong against bugs, so it didn’t take long to get the Bug Badge.”

Clearly it wasn’t hard at all; he’d already finished the battle! Shocked by his quick victory, I exclaimed, “That’s great! Should we plan where we’re going next or stick around here?”

“Well, we can stay here, return to Lumiose City, go to Snowbelle City, or go to Aquacorde Town,” Ruby recited.

“There’s going to be a competition in Aquacorde Town!” Lisia chirped. “Here, check it out!”

Poffle making! TriPokalon! Boat racing! The flyer didn’t even seem to know what it wanted to be.

Wait a moment…

“A TriPokalon!” I gasped. “There’s going to be one there in just a couple days!”

“What!?” Lisia shrieked, pulling the paper from me. “Ooh, you’re right! I just wanted enter the Poffle contest, but a TriPokalon would be perfect too!”

Ruby offered a half-hearted smile. “It’s good to see you two so excited, but I’d like to rest tonight, if that’s all right.”

“Of course it’s all right, Ruby!” Lisia replied immediately.

I had to gulp back a bit of apprehension before responding, “Yeah, you’ve gotten three badges this past month, you and your Pokemon deserve a break.”

He flashed a smile. “Thanks, ladies. You two enjoy yourselves and I’ll definitely be watching on TV!”

I turned around quickly so he wouldn’t see the look on my face. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it would give away my disappointment.

Lisia and I headed off together towards Aquacorde Town. It only took us a short time to get there, less than a day. We rested at the hotel and trained through the next day. Lisia insisted on showing me how to make Poffle (I was a complete disaster, though) and we critiqued each other’s appeals. Even though we were rivals, and she was the most thoroughly annoying person I’d had the so-called pleasure of meeting, she proved knowledgeable about Pokemon and performance.

The next day, just hours before the contest, I received a mystery call via HoloCaster. I hesitated to answer the unknown number, so Lisia swiped the HoloCaster out of my hands and answered it for me, to my frustration. Thankfully she did, as the message was a Pierre-shaped hologram announcing the theme for the competition. Though I couldn’t hear properly, I definitely thought I heard Pierre say—

“Tag team?” I asked Lisia, just to confirm. 

She stared back at me, neither confirming nor denying what I’d heard. Her sober look didn’t last long, however, and she started jumping up and down in front of me, reaching out and grabbing my hands in hers. I had no idea what could have elicited such a response, until Lisia replied, “Ooh, so I guess you need a partner! I’ll do it!” 

The aquamarine haired girl dropped my hands in order to strike her standard Lisia, Contest Spectacular Idol! pose. Despite her antics, I knew she was talented, so I didn’t say no.

“What’ll our team name be?” she asked eagerly.

“Hmm…”

“How about The Spectacular Lisia and Hoshi!”

I shook my head.

“How about… Lisia and Hoshi take the stage!”

“No…”

I looked up into the sky, searching for inspiration. The clouds seemed oddly puffy today, a bright white, taking up the entirety of the blue sky. Then I looked back at Lisia, who continued to rattle off nonsensical, needlessly long names. Her outfit was very heaven-like as well. My contest outfit had a similar color scheme to hers, and together we would match the sky above.

“What about Sky’s the Limit?” I blurted, then immediately regretted it. Wasn’t that just another needlessly long name?

Lisia didn’t seem to agree. Or, maybe she did, seeing as she liked those types of names. “Yes! Team Sky’s the Limit! I like it.” She nodded enthusiastically. “Ali will be perfect for that name, too!”

I thought to my own Pokemon. Amaura, definitely not. Torkoal didn’t fit either. So it was between Breloom, my seasoned competitor, or Spritzee, the new kid on the block. I consulted Lisia, and after some discussion, we came to a consensus.

\--

“And now, welcome to the Aquacorde Town TriPokalon!” Pierre announced. He shot me a quick glance, so quick that suddenly I was sure I imagined it. “The theme performance is Tag Team, as was shared with contestants earlier today. So first up, we have a double battle extraordinaire!”

“What?” I asked, confused. Since when did TriPokalon involve battles?

“This is right in our element, Hoshi!” Lisia exclaimed. “Just like a contest battle I’m sure! We have to stay beautiful and elegant while trouncing the competition!”

I felt my lips turn up into a smirk. “This is good, then.”

“Now, introducing the first two teams: Team Berrybaker, consisting of siblings Tora and Aya Berrybaker! Against them is Team Sky’s the Limit, with partners Hoshiko Gateaux and Analisia Atalan!” 

The Berrybaker Kids! I remembered them from the Poffle competition near Cyllage City. That made sense, actually; there was scheduled to be a Poffle contest later in the day here, so of course they would be here. But that they also competed in TriPokalon came as a surprise!

“Hold on,” Lisia hissed to me, “how is there a boy in this competition?”

I hadn’t realized that at first, but she made a good point. Wasn’t TriPokalon just for girls? But we wouldn't receive any answer to that question, as Pierre signaled for the battle to begin!

“Go Hariyama!” the boy – Tora, I guess – yelled.

“Floette, I choose you!” the girl – Aya – called.

It was refreshing to see a Hoenn-native Pokemon, something I knew about! But what had Aya said, Floette? The small, pixie-like Pokemon floated in midair, mostly obscured by the large orange flower it held.

“It’s a fairy type!” Lisia told me, seeing the confusion in my face. “So I’m really counting on you, okay?”

“Why?”

Lisia stared. “Uh, don’t you know that dragons are weak to fairies?”

Well, I know now.

She shook her head disapprovingly. “I have no idea how you’ve come this far without understanding type matchups.” Before I could defend myself, she continued, “Ali, take flight!”

I figured this could be a conversation for another time, and instead said, “Breloom, give it your all!”

We must have had some kind of advantage – Ali could fly, after all. Perhaps that one advantage would be enough to make up for any typing disadvantages we might have.

“And, begin!”

“Floette, Fairy Wind!”

Lisia looked stunned. Right, fairy moves are strong against dragons… “Charge into it with Mach Punch, Breloom!” I commanded.

Breloom ran through the sparkling wind to connect with Floette. However, the Pokemon hardly seemed fazed.

“Fighting’s not good against fairy!” Lisia chirped nervously.

Right… “Bullet Seed!”

“Jump in and use Arm Thrust!” Tora exclaimed.

I’d forgotten about Hariyama! Its well-placed hands forced the seeds away and back towards Breloom. “Jump!”

“Swoop in with Aerial Ace!”

Finally, Lisia did something! Ali scored a direct hit on Hariyama. As Ali righted itself, Breloom landed on its back.

“Now you can get ‘em both with Fairy Wind!” Aya called, pointing directly at Ali and Breloom.

“No—” Lisia seemed to be giving up, just due to the fact that fairy trumped dragon. Well, even though I don’t know my types, at least I know how to keep fighting!

“Sky Headbutt!” I commanded, crossing my fingers that Breloom would know what I meant. We hadn’t used this combination before, but I knew our years together were worth so much more than a practice session!

Breloom looked back at me, nodded, then jumped off of Ali. With the power of gravity, and its powerful head and claw, Breloom scored a direct hit on Floette, first with its head, then skillfully followed up with a Sky Uppercut. The fairy Pokemon crashed to the ground, fainting instantly.

“No!” Aya cried. She knew they were through.

“Aerial Outrage!” Lisia yelled. Her confidence was through the roof, flying higher than her Ali. She seemed to be combining Outrage and Aerial Ace, and the combination looked stunning in more ways than one!

“Force Palm!” Tora returned. But it was in vain; though both Pokemon sustained damage, the combination of a powerful dragon move and an always accurate flying move did Hariyama in.

“Both Hariyama and Floette are unable to battle. The winning team is Sky’s the Limit!”

Lisia started her weird little bunny hopping, but I couldn’t object.

“C’mere, Hoshi! Let’s take a selfie!”

“What did you—”

Before I could finish my question, the girl managed to whip out her PokeNav, open a camera function, and snap a photo of the two of us. We actually looked pretty cute with our matching outfits – but I’d never tell Lisia that I’d had that thought.

“We’re so cute!” she squealed. Guess she can say that for me. “I’m putting this on PokeGram,” she added.

“What’s that?” I asked her. She didn’t respond. Whatever.

As we walked off the stage, I noticed cameras all around us. So this competition was being televised, huh? Absentmindedly, I wondered if Ruby was watching. I’m not really sure why that mattered so much to me in that moment – but I really hoped that he was.

“What’re you thinking, Hoshi?” Lisia asked, bringing me back into reality.

“Nothing,” I replied. “Nothing at all.”

\--

Lisia and I cleared the next round with ease. She somehow convinced me to make that ridiculous pose with her for the PokeGrams or whatever. I watched over her shoulder as she added some kind of special filter and the commentary: _we’re almost at the end! Fighting! #skysthelimit_

“And now…” Pierre turned to face the crowd, closing his eyes to build the anticipation. “It’s time for the final round! Each team will do an appeal, and…” he paused here for dramatic effect, “… all registered performers on the winning team will receive a Princess Key!”

His words made me miss Miette almost immediately. I could have competed with her… we could have won our next keys together…!

“Hey! Head in the game, Hoshi!”

Instead I have Lisia’s chirping.

“I’m going to use my newest team member! So you use someone else too, okay?”

“You have a Pokemon other than Ali?” I asked.

Lisia giggled. I must have looked stunned. “I have one more! Go, Mari!”

Lisia spun around quite gracefully before sending out her Pokemon. A small, pink, sheep-like creature appeared in front of us. I could see why she decided on adding this Pokemon to her team; it had puffs just like Ali and Lisia’s clothes.

“This is uh…” Not a Pokemon that is native to Hoenn! “… uh…”

“Flaaffy,” both Lisia and Mari huffed.

“Right! Flaaffy. An electric type? I think,” I mumbled, struggling to remember my studies. It didn’t matter too much in that moment, as I already picked who I wanted to use. “Spritzee, give it your all!” I called, tossing the ball in the air.

“Good choice!” Lisia chimed.

Lisia and I chatted about our strategy for this round. She insisted on choreography, which I tried to learn, but really, there wasn’t any time—

“Team Sky’s the Limit, please take the stage!” Pierre announced.

“Showtime!” Lisia squeaked.

She and Mari led the way, me and Spritzee trailing behind.

“You ready, Hoshi?”

I gulped, then nodded.

Lisia ran out on the stage, Mari following her. We stayed on our side of the stage, watching and waiting for our cue.

“Mari, use Charge!”

Mari’s pristine white wool crackled with static electricity. Meanwhile, Lisia and Mari danced on stage, drawing attention to them and away from us. Lisia danced around Mari, forming beautiful, somehow perfectly shaped circles. Mari meanwhile did what I believe to be called a _pirouette_ , showing a level of grace and balance that I couldn’t achieve most times.

Realizing that Lisia had almost made a full circle, I remembered our cue. “You ready, Spritzee?” I whispered.

Spritzee nodded, then did a flip in the air for good measure.

Lisia spun closer to her Pokemon, and the two of them held hands. Lisia’s hair rose up from the static electricity, which earned a laugh and some gasps from the audience.

Time to take the stage! “Fairy Wind!” I commanded.

Our strategy to take the crowd by surprise worked; the audience let out a collective gasp as Spritzee and I emerged from the wings. The pink Pokemon let loose a sparkling breath, which carried Lisia and Mari up into the air. Fairy Wind served as a conductor for the electricity, and it crackled all about. 

“Cotton Spore!” Lisia commanded. Mari surrounded the pair in a huge puffy shield, allowing us to get in position.

I’ve never been a dancer, but Lisia taught me a simple spin up on my toes, which she called a _chaines_ , and I did this in the shape of a circle just below the airborne pair. I completed my 270 degree rotation, as planned, going counterclockwise from west to north. I was so wrapped up in making a decent circle that I almost forgot to give Spritzee its next command. Tripping ever so slightly at this realization, I quickly managed to recover and pointed towards the sky where Spritzee floated.

“Double Team!”

I crossed the fingers of my non-pointing hand behind my back as Spritzee tried out its new move for the first time. Well, for the first time in front of other people; of course we’d gotten in plenty of practice before the TriPokalon! Though it didn’t make too many copies, Spritzee had seven other shadows floating around before long.

“Echoed Voice!”

The eight copies each unleashed a visible sonic burst towards Mari and Lisia. The Cotton Spore stayed in effect, shrouding the two and only revealing their shadows to the crowd. We were almost at the end of the appeal, and I felt my palms getting sweaty as I stared above us. I really hoped this would work…

_“You strength train, right?”_ Lisia had asked me.

_“Uh, yes,”_ I’d replied. When we were in school together, Miette had tried to convince me to join the modern dance team, but I preferred spending my afternoons in the weight room. I’d planned on taking up Coach’s offer to join the varsity shot-put team before this adventure came in and swept me away. Lisia’s earlier annoyance at my lack of dancing knowledge melted away at this.

_“You look strong. We’ll need your strength for the grand finale!”_

And now, with the moment looming, I really hoped this would work.

“Mari, bring it back with Light Screen!”

We only had seconds from after Mari reflected the Echoed Voice right back at Spritzee to make sure everything went right. Throughout the entire appeal, Mari and Lisia slowly fell back to the ground. But now that the Cotton Spore had worn off, they started falling much faster. Time to focus—

“Aromatic Mist!” I called breathlessly.

Spritzee’s attack intercepted with the Echoed Voice rings, cancelling them out. The other copies disappeared into the mist, and the true Spritzee burst forth from the pink shroud. Mari landed directly on her, while Lisia – whose eyes I met as I looked directly above me, did a flip in midair.

“Hoshi!” she exclaimed.

“Lissi!” I returned. Even if I hated that name, we were supposed to be a team, and she’d thought the additional diminutive would reinforce that. Or something. I raised up my arms and unlocked my knees in anticipation of her weight.

SLAM! Lisia’s hands connected with my own, and I had to kneel forward in a lunge to keep the both of us balanced. But… it worked! I felt so excited that I almost dropped the girl, but not before she skillfully pushed off my hands and flipped forward in midair. She crouched in front of me, and Spritzee deposited Mari directly in front of Lisia while the fairy Pokemon flipped backwards and landed on my head.

“Finished!” we both declared, and the crowd roared. 

“That was amazing Hoshi!” Lisia chirped, skipping next to me. “I don’t think the Black Swans or whatever that other team was will be able to top us!”

I looked up towards the screen where the Black Swans (or whatever) prepared for their appeal. Their Pokemon, a Gallade (I think, that’s the one that evolves from Kirlia with a stone, right?) and a Lucario (Lisia supplied, shaking her head), were a good team. All four of them danced around the stage, and it became clear to me that they all had actual dance training. However, they didn’t pull any stunts like Lisia and I had; none of them had the brute strength to pull that off. The applause seemed more tepid for this group, and my eyes met Lisia’s in a shared look of confidence.

We walked out onto the stage together, hand in hand. And as the lights dimmed, and the luminous votes flew into our key pins, we looked straight out into the crowd.

“It’s a close one, folks,” Pierre announced. “But the winners are, just by a hair… Team Sky’s the Limit!”

Pierre’s announcement was drowned by equal amounts of applause and jeering alike, as Lisia and myself took a bow for both parties. 

“We did it!” Lisia exclaimed, grasping both my hands in hers. “I’m amazed we pulled that off!”

I was shocked myself. I thought one of us would be injured for sure.

“Let’s take one final picture for PokeGram!”

She grabbed my hand, and we both reached our other arms out, grasping the Princess Keys in our fists. Mari and Spritzee posed between us, the Aroma Pokemon perched atop the Wool Pokemon. Lisia snapped the photo, and I watched over her shoulder as she added a caption to this picture:

_When you give it your all the #skysthelimit!_

Huh. My “catchphrase,” as people insisted on calling that exact collection of words. I looked up at Lisia, ready to ask her about that, when the girl caught my eyes and nodded.

“It sounds cool, right?” she asked me, smiling.

Perhaps she didn’t realize? Well, we’d only known each other a few days, anyway. “Yeah, that does sound pretty cool.”

“Hmm…” she murmured, scrolling on her phone. Then, she perked up. “Hey! Ruby liked our photo!”

“Really?” I asked, sounding more excited than I’d expected.

Lisia stared for a beat too long, but then grinned. “Yeah! See here, this is his tag. Oh, he commented too!”

I looked down to where Lisia pointed to read: _@1000rubies Saw it all on TV, you two were amazing! Congratulations!_

“1000?” I muttered to myself. Odd choice in number.

“It has something to do with his last name, I think,” Lisia replied distractedly. I looked up to see reporters closing in—

“Ack! I’m outta here,” I declared, stepping away from the girl.

“It’s okay! I can handle reporters!” Lisia chirped, throwing a victory sign.

I thanked her for that and scooted off stage, returning Spritzee to its Pokeball. I felt thankful that I’d done just that, as my HoloCaster started ringing as soon as I got away from the commotion. A familiar blue-haired friend popped up on my screen.

“Hey there Hosh!”

“Miette!” I exclaimed. “I just got done with a TriPokalon!”

“I know~” she sang in response. “I saw you and Lisia! You two were great! All that time after school in the weight room paid off, didn’t it?”

“Yes!” She’d always made fun of me for my hobby, but now she must have understood why I liked it so much. With all this strength I could do anything I wanted.

“Hey, I’ve got a surprise for you,” Miette taunted. Her eyes lit up and I could tell that the words she wanted to speak danced on her lips.

“What is it?”

“Ah, can’t tell you yet~” she replied. I sighed. “Tune in to the Dendemille Town TriPokalon the day after tomorrow and you’ll see!”

“You’re competing?”

“Yes! It’s gonna be great!” She grinned, baring her teeth. Then, she continued mischievously, “Ooh, and guess who else is here too?”

“Uh… Ruby?” 

“Haha, no, don’t be silly! Ruby’s with you, right?” She didn’t give me enough time to respond. “No, someone much cuter!”

“I’m gonna tell Ruby that you don’t think he’s cute, Miette.”

She frowned. “He’s not _not_ cute… I mean… whatever! Guess who!” she stammered through, pouting.

“Ash and them?”

“Ye-es~” she sang in reply. I shook my head. 

“He’s not cute. He’s ridiculous. He jumped off a building for no reason.” I wasn’t sure if she’d seen the newscast, so I got ready to explain.

Before I could, Miette shook her head back at me. “No, it was so heroic! He’s such a courageous boy!” Her cheeks glowed, and I could tell that her crush was pretty major, considering her normal crushes on guys lasted about a week or so. The Garchomp fiasco had occurred over a month ago.

“Right, well tell them I said hello,” I replied.

“Will! Make sure to tune in to my next performance!”

“Will,” I echoed. 

There was a short pause, in which I saw Miette’s eyes widen. Was it something on her end or on mine? She put her hand in front of her face, possibly to stifle a giggle, before rushing, “I need to go practice with my Pokemon but call me tomorrow or something bye Hosh!”

“Miette!” I snapped. Why had she done that?!

“Your friend is very observant,” came a lightly French-accented lilt.

I flinched. When had someone come up behind me? I turned to see glowing clothes. Well, one guess there.

“Pierre!” I exclaimed. My eyes must have been as wide as Miette’s had been, as the blonde chuckled at me. “Ah, sorry, you startled me.”

He smiled, then cocked his head to the side. “Sorry about that, I certainly didn’t mean to.” He paused, then asked, “Where is your friend?”

“Which? I’ve got more than one.”

Pierre chuckled, running his right hand through his blond locks. “Of course you do. I am speaking of Analisia. I know that Miette is not with you, as she was on the HoloCaster, _non_?”

“ _Oui_ ,” I replied, not realizing the slip into French until Pierre’s smile lit up. “B-but,” I stammered, “Uh, Lisia is back there, um, talking to reporters. You should have passed her.”

“Ah, I suppose she is.” Why was Pierre being all weird and asking me obvious questions like this? “Well, then. I’m hoping you have a little bit of time tomorrow. You see, you were brilliant today and I’d like to treat you to something.”

Oh no. Here we go again. “Pierre, this isn’t a date, right?”

He frowned, then looked down at his shoes. “It doesn’t have to be.”

Seeing him so dejected made my heart drop. “Ack, Pierre. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I—I don’t mind if it’s a date, or uh,” I stammered, flustered now. Did I mind if it was a date?

Pierre’s head snapped back up, cerulean eyes sparkling with new energy. “Let me take you to a café that’s just on the canal here. I have an engagement during the day tomorrow, but let’s meet for drinks in the evening. They make wonderful coffee, I hear.” How did he know that’s exactly what I wanted to hear?

“Sure, that sounds good.”

“Perfect. I should be finished around 6, so let’s meet there at 7. The café is called Canal Café. Au revoir!”

Pierre power-walked away towards a trailer in the distance. Emblazoned on the side was a large, cartoonish bubble, the text within reading _TriPokalon Trailer!_ I supposed that was how he travelled from town to town and still had all of his things. As I watched him leave, Lisia came up behind me, and said, “So, what was up with Pierre?”

“Nothing,” I replied. Lisia stared. “He asked me on a date,” I added.

“Whaaaat! That’s not nothing!” Lisia squealed, grabbing my hands. Why was everyone so much more invested in my dating life than me? “Let me help you get ready!”

“I am ready.”

Lisia clucked disappointingly and shook her head. “You’re sweaty from the TriPokalon. Let’s get you changed! Ooh I have just the thing!”

I envisioned some kind of puffy white number that left my midriff exposed. Almost like cloud-shaped censor bars… “No. I have clothes. Anyway, the date’s tomorrow, not now.”

Lisia pouted. “All right, fine! But get changed now anyway. You smell!”

I shoved her slightly, and she laughed. As the sun set on the final day in July, with the brilliance of the oranges, purples, and pinks surrounding me, I couldn’t help but think that August would be one hell of a month.


	10. A Star by Any Other Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star learns about the people around her.

**_A Star by Any Other Name  
_** _August_  


“ _C’est magnifique,_ ” Pierre hummed, seeing my outfit. 

It had been a long process to get to the final result, as I changed into my usual outfit, then changed into a different outfit that Lisia said I should wear. I wore that outfit throughout the day, trying to get used to it as per Lisia’s suggestion, but it just didn’t feel like me. After Lisia and I had a light dinner, of which I ate very little, I rushed back to our room to change back into my usual clothes. Even though I’d put the effort into my clothing, I couldn’t help but flush at his comment. He was more dressed up than myself, wearing a navy blue polo shirt and black slacks, but I decided to take the compliment for what it was.

“That blue ribbon top looks divine on you,” he said.

“Enough with the exaggerations,” I grumbled, eyes focused on the ground. “You look nice yourself.”

“ _Merci,_ ” Pierre replied.

We chatted as the coffee came, and I learned more about his Pokemon (he only had Klefki at the moment, as the others were at home in Snowbelle City) and about his own future dreams (he’d love to do this for a while longer, then maybe branch out and host more types of competitions). As we began to enjoy our beverages – his a hot ginger peach black tea, and mine, an Americano – he stared straight at me and asked, “So, I’ve told you many things about me, but you haven’t said a thing about yourself.”

I gulped. Of course he would notice that.

“So tell me something about yourself that no one else knows.”

“No one else…” I muttered, looking up towards the sky for answers. Only the slight glittering of dusk-time stars answered me. But, I realized, that was enough. “I was named because of a shooting star,” I blurted. Pierre looked confused but interested, so I continued, “My parents had argued for months about whether my name should be Japanese or English. My dad is Japanese, and my mom is American, so…” 

I trailed off, hoping Pierre wouldn’t ask questions. He didn’t, so I continued, “Then, when my mom went into labor early with me, they had to quit the argument and settle on something then and there. A star shot through the sky as they rushed to the hospital, and both my parents were inspired with what they wanted to name me.” I paused, preparing the half-lie on my lips. “My dad decided on Hoshiko, which means child of the stars.” I left out the final part, where my mom had won out due to the fact that I already had a Japanese last name, and thusly, my name was Astrid, _divinely beautiful_.

Pierre’s mouth hung open. I wondered if I’d said too much. “That’s a beautiful story, Hoshiko,” he finally said. He then muttered to himself, “ _Un enfant des astres_.”

Wait, what had he just said? Astre…? “What did you—”

“We don’t have a name like that, but I think the French equivalent would be something like Astrette,” Pierre explained.

I felt myself freeze. Astrette… sounded way too much like Astrid.

“If you don’t mind, I may call you that,” Pierre said, a smile teasing his lips.

“No!” I snapped, and his smile disappeared. I cleared my throat, “I mean, I’d prefer you didn’t.”

“Why not?” he asked innocently, cocking his head to the side.

I felt my shoulders tense unnaturally. Perhaps I was trying to shrink into myself. “My name is Hoshiko,” I answered without answering.

He seemed a little perturbed by my overreaction to the name, and dropped the subject. We sipped in silence for a while, as he busied himself with his HoloCaster and I stared out over the river. The boat race that had been announced alongside the TriPokalon had been over for a while, and so children played at the shallower end of the river, and friends and couples kayaked and boated on the calm waters.

“Astrette,” Pierre said, snapping me out of it. I must have looked stunned, for he then amended, “I mean, Hoshiko. I’m very sorry, after you told me your story, I can’t help but think of you as a star in my native tongue.”

“It… it’s okay, really,” I replied. “What’s up?”

“Well, the sun is almost set, and I must be in Dendemille Town tomorrow,” he informed, standing. He leaned towards me, both hands pressed to the table. Pierre seemed stern, pensive, and I got the very keen feeling he thought there would be no third date after this.

“Wait.” I reached my hand out and grabbed his arm. He flushed and looked away, but didn’t say anything and didn’t move, so I continued, “I’m sorry about snapping. It’s just that… that name… sounds like the name of someone I used to know. So it’s a little weird.”

He stared a moment before finally smiling. “You could have just said so, Hoshiko.”

“I just did!”

“I thought you were angry with me.”

“I wasn’t. It’s not your fault.”

As Pierre’s hesitant smile turned into a grin, something hit me – I’d just salvaged the date. Why had I felt the need to do that? “Thank you for that. Though it doesn’t change that it’s getting late and I must be in Dendemille Town tomorrow.”

“R-right. Well, uh, thanks for today.”

Pierre positively beamed at this point. “Thank you for being such lovely company, Hoshiko.” He took my hand that I'd used to grab his arm and kissed it—

My face lit on fire from the sudden intimate action, and Pierre laughed. “Good night, little star.”

“Good… night…” I managed to stammer out, and I watched Pierre walk off into the distance.

I headed to the hotel where Lisia and I were staying. Her hair, normally styled up in the most ridiculous loops and curls, fell in frizzy waves all around her. She had a pink bow elastic on top of her head to hold her hair out of her eyes, and she wore sky blue white polka dot pajamas. Perched on the bed, she finally exclaimed, “Hoshi, how was it!”

I sighed. “I… I don’t know what to do, Lisia. I think he really likes me.”

“Whaaaat!” she exclaimed. “What do you mean you don’t know what to do? If he likes you, then that’s the hard part out of the way!”

“I’m not any good at this…” I muttered. Then, I realized something. I knew that Lisia had been in at least one relationship, so I could ask her. “Well, you’ve done this before. What should I do?”

“Oh, you mean, how I went out with Ruby, right?”

I nodded.

“Hoshi, you’re kind of tense. Is everything okay?”

“I-I’m not tense!” But as I said this, I felt my shoulders inch up towards my ears. “Okay, well, just tell me already!”

Lisia eyed me strangely, her cobalt eyes flashing. “Okay. Well, Ruby is the one who asked me out first,” she began, closing her eyes in reminiscence. “So I knew that he liked me, obviously.”

Pierre asked me out first, so he likes me. Supposedly that’s obvious, I mentally noted.

“After our second time going out, I decided that I could like Ruby. And then after our third date, I realized that I did,” she continued.

We just went out for a second time. And I made sure that the date didn’t flop after that seriously awkward moment.

“So, are you saying I need a third date to figure out if I’m really interested?”

“I’d say that’s a pretty good indicator,” Lisia agreed. “I mean, everyone’s different. But how did you feel about this date?”

I wracked my brain for how to answer the question. Not good, not bad? “It was okay. It could have been much worse, but I… I salvaged it, in the end.”

“Ooh, tell me!” Lisia chirped, out of serious mode for now and back to standard Lisia mode.

I sighed. How would I tell her about what had happened without revealing my reasons as to why it upset me so much?

“Well… he gave me a nickname that reminded me of someone from a long time ago who’s no longer a part of my life, and that freaked me out more than I expected,” I said. “I got upset, and he thought I was mad at him, but I made sure to know that I wasn't.”

“He gave you a nickname! What is it?”

Of course she picked up on the part of the story I hoped she wouldn’t. “… Astrette,” I finally said.

“That’s so pretty! He definitely likes you, Hoshi!”

“It means little star in French, like my name does in Japanese,” I explained.

“That’s… that’s so…” Were those tears in her eyes? “… beautiful!”

“Uh, okay, Lisia. Let’s tone it down.”

“Ooh, I wanna tell Ruby! Can I tell Ruby?” she asked eagerly.

Lead. That’s the first sensation that hit me after her words. Lead in my chest. “No,” I snapped. She eyed me quizzically, until I amended, “I’d like to wait until after the third date before I tell anyone anything.”

She nodded. “Right. You want to be sure. That’s understandable.”

I sighed in relief. Thankfully that reasoning worked for the girl. She tied her long, unruly hair into a bun before scrolling on her PokeGear.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She grinned. “PokeGram! Check it out. You follow people and they post pictures about their day or whatever. Then you can like and comment on them.”

Frankly, I didn’t get it, and I told the girl so. Her grin became a pout as she said, “Well, that’s because you don’t have one! Let me show you what it’s like to be PokeGram famous!” she exclaimed, before snapping a photo of the two of us—

“Hey!” I snapped. I looked exhausted and ridiculous, and sitting next to the stunning Lisia Atalán didn’t help me look much better. She then typed a caption: _a relaxing evening for Hoshi & Lissi! Live from team #skysthelimit!_

Less than a minute later, her PokeGear pinged.

“Ooh, someone already liked our photo! They must be following the Sky’s the Limit tag. We’re famous!” Another ping. Did that mean we were doubly famous? “And there’s a comment! Oh, wait, they’re both from Ruby!”

“Ruby?” I inquired, glancing over her shoulder. “What did he say?”

“Uh, hold on…” she muttered, before reading out, “ _Great job today, you two! I’ll be in Aquacorde Town later tonight._ Ruby’s coming!” Lisia chirped, hugging her pillow. “Yay!”

“He’s on his way now, though? It’s at least three or four hours to get here.”

“Yeah, that is a bit strange, but he’ll be fine.”

We lapsed into silence after that, but at least it was a comfortable one. After a while, we both turned out the lights and tried to get to sleep. Lisia was quite successful; her sleep breathing started about 10 minutes from when we’d shut off the lights. But I could feel the time passing, ticking, almost as if my own mind were a clock. Why couldn’t I sleep? Maybe it was the Americano. I resolved to stop drinking caffeine so late.

I rolled over to check the clock. 11:06, it blared. And still, I felt wide awake. So, I grabbed my bag, slipped into my mary janes, and headed downstairs, pajamas and all. An old heather gray tank top with my previous school’s name and mascot emblazoned on – the Treetop Tropiuses – and soft, mint green pajama pants seemed pretty reasonable to wear down the lobby.

As I sat and people-watched, a favorite pastime of mine, a familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Uh, yeah, I’m looking for Analisia Atalán and Hoshiko Gateaux…”

I looked over to see a very familiar white beanie and green backpack. Well, who else would be looking for the two of us at this very hotel?

“Sorry sir, but we can’t just give out room information,” the concierge replied, rolling his eyes. It did seem pretty ridiculous, now that I thought about it, a teenage boy asking for the room of two girls at what had to be at least 11 at night.

“Right, sorry. Just get me a room, then,” Ruby muttered.

“Hold on, he’s with me.”

Ruby spun around, stunned, as I got up off of the cushy chair I’d been occupying and walked over towards him.

“H-Ho-Hoshiko!” he finally managed to splutter. “It’s almost midnight!”

“I know.” Well, I hadn’t realized it was quite that late, but I knew it was something like that. “I couldn’t sleep.” A pause, where someone might expect me to fill it with explanation, but I didn’t. “Would you like to come up? There isn’t an extra bed but we have a couch.”

“Yes,” he sighed out, seeming thankful for somewhere to rest.

The concierge looked on in confusion, but after I smiled and nodded at him he relaxed a bit. Ruby and I walked up the two flights of stairs to the second floor, but before we could exit the stairwell to head towards the room, the boy piped up, “Hey, Hoshiko, can we check out the rooftop view?” I must have been staring, as he started to blush. “I-I mean, if you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind.” We continued walking up to the top floor, then exited on the roof. Stars sparkled above us, and the sky seemed to go on forever.

“Look, isn’t it beautiful?”

I followed the boy’s gaze, which stared out over towards the canal. In the silence of the night, I heard the river babbling, and the lights of the stars and the partial moon illuminated the pristine water below.

“It is,” I replied softly.

We stood in silence for a moment, until Ruby broke it. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you and Lisia perform yesterday.”

Why would he be sorry about a thing like that? “It’s fine. You watched us on TV, right?”

Ruby turned away suddenly, trying to hide his face. What? I hadn’t said anything weird! “Yes, I did. You two did really well!”

“We won,” I reminded. 

He chuckled, turning back with a soft sparkle in his eyes. “You certainly did.”

I looked out again over the canal, and noticed that Volbeat and Illumise had started flying around the area, softly illuminating the space with Tail Glow. The sight was altogether spectacular, and I reached into my bag to get my HoloCaster to take a picture. 

As I did that, my hand brushed against something unfamiliar, so I grabbed that first. Lifting it out of the bag, and catching a glimpse of camo print in the light, I realized – the beanie I’d meant to give Ruby for his birthday. What had Lisia said? He was named for the July birthstone? But today was August 1st, so I’d definitely missed it at this point.

Ruby must have caught my distraught look, as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I, um…” I mumbled, closing my fist around the beanie. “I have something for you.”

“Oh?” Ruby looked genuinely interested, which made me feel worse for missing his birthday.

“Um, yeah. Lisia told me that your birthday was sometime at the end of July, and well, I seem to have missed it, but I uh, well…” Ack, why was it so hard to get anything out of my mouth properly! Must have been the time. I felt pretty tired at this point. But I pushed on. “Happy birthday anyway!” I exclaimed, holding out my clenched fist, the beanie balled within.

Ruby held out his hands, and I dropped the beanie into them. He examined his present, smiling. “Thanks, Hoshiko. And you didn’t miss it.”

“Huh?”

“My birthday. You didn’t miss it. It’s today.”

I stared at him. “But, July is over—”

“Right,” he said calmly, which confused me. Noting my confusion, he added, “My birthday is today, August 1st.” He paused then, staring again out over the water. I didn’t say anything, which Ruby took as a request for explanation. “Lisia knows that I’m named for the July birthstone. I was supposed to be born in July. The 25th or 26th or so. But I was a stubborn kid from the start, and so finally my mom had to be induced on the 31st. I wasn’t born until after midnight, but my parents weren’t aware of that, and anyway, they wouldn’t have changed my name to the next birthstone. I mean, I think it’s peridot for August, and that doesn’t make for a great name,” he chuckled. I’m pretty sure I was staring, but he didn’t seem bothered. “This must be pretty weird, right? I’m spilling about something that doesn’t matter.”

“I’m just glad I didn’t miss your birthday,” I admitted.

He beamed. “I’m glad, too.”

I tried to stifle a yawn, but since Ruby had been looking straight at me, he didn’t miss it. “Right. You’re tired. And I’m exhausted! I didn’t think it would take four hours to get here!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “You’re ridiculous.”

We shared a smile as we walked back to the room in silence. I fell asleep almost immediately, waking to the distinct thought that I had dreamed it all.


	11. Dances in Dendemille

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star watches others take the stage, for a change.

**_Dances in Dendemille_ ** _  
August_

“Hoshi! Are ya ready to go? Are ya!?”

My eyes snapped open, my vision too blurry to glare at the offender. Who dared wake me up before the acceptable hour of 9am? Well, clearly a rhetorical question: it was between Ruby and Lisia, and only one of those two had a voice that could be considered chirpy.

“No.”

“Aww Hoshi…” Lisia muttered. I saw through the haze that she was pouting. Of course. “We’re going to make our way to Snowbelle City today! Make sure you have a jacket on hand!”

“Where’s Ruby?” I managed to mumble.

“Waiting for us! C’mon!”

Lisia bounced out of the room, leaving me on my own. Great.

I managed to slink out of bed, then considered my clothing options. Well, my usual outfit provided the most coverage, but I would probably have to buy a jacket or something in Snowbelle City. They’d have a clothing shop, right?

After putting on my usual clothes, I met the pair downstairs. I saw – no, _heard_ – Lisia first, animatedly chirping about something or other.

“… it looks great! Really!” I overheard.

I ended up seeing Ruby first, standing slightly taller than Lisia, the part of his face visible to me covered by a light flush. 

“What looks great?” I asked.

Lisia stepped to the side, and shouted something at me, but it didn’t register. All I took in was Ruby’s—

“Your clothes,” I gasped. I must have looked ridiculous, as Ruby’s flush deepened.

Instead of his black and red outfit that he’d worn since I’d met him, Ruby wore clothes in a blue and white scheme. He looked… stylish, I suppose. He had overlaid a blue and white striped top with a sky blue button down shirt, which he left unbuttoned. He also wore dark brown jeans and red boots – perfect for Snowbelle City, I realized. Where he once had his bright green backpack, a black messenger bag hung loosely over his shoulder. I met his eyes in preparation to say something, when I finally noticed the final piece of his new outfit: his hat.

“What about the hat I gave you, Ruby?” Lisia pouted, sounding more disappointed than I think she wanted to let on.

“I, uh, I thought this one would go better with the outfit,” he replied sheepishly, tugging at the black and blue camouflage beanie that sat atop his head.

“But it was a gift for your birthday!”

Right. As per our hat competition Lisia had also given Ruby a hat, a black and white baseball cap with a Pokeball logo. Considering the theme of his clothes, he really could have gone either way hat-wise. I almost retorted that the beanie was a gift, too, but I managed to stop myself. Lisia didn’t know that, and she didn’t need to know it, either. I wasn’t sure why I felt like I needed to keep that from her, but meeting Ruby’s eyes with my own, I realized I wanted to keep that between us. And with that, I kept a secret to myself, too: I won.

Ruby must have gotten the same vibe, because he replied, “Well, for my next outfit change, or if this one gets snowed on, I could probably switch.”

Lisia kept pouting, her arms tighter across her chest than they had been the entire conversation, but said nothing. It didn’t take long for Lisia to return to her normally chipper self, though, and she talked our ears off most of the way to our rest stop. We planned to stop at Santalune City for today, then make it to Snowbelle City within the next two to three days, weather permitting.

As we walked, Lisia mostly chatted with Ruby, allowing me to reflect on what had happened the past few days. I had two Princess Keys, the same amount as Miette and Lisia, who had received her first Key before I’d met her. I’d also had two dates with Pierre.

In front of me, Lisia practically slung herself over Ruby’s untaken shoulder. For some reason, that sight helped me make up my mind – after my next TriPokalon, I’d ask Pierre out, this time. For that third, defining moment date!

Even though we were supposed to set out the day after the TriPokalon in Aquacorde Town, which at this point had been the day before yesterday, I made Lisia and Ruby stick around for another day. I’d promised Miette that I would watch her competition, after all. And though her appeal was beautiful, there was something – no, someone – else that stuck out to me that day…

\--

“Welcome to the Dendemille TriPokalon!”

Pierre’s “Monsieur Pierre” character beamed into the camera, his Klefki right by his side. He announced the first round of competition – a Poffle baking contest. I almost changed the channel right there, but I realized that I’d probably be a pretty unsupportive friend if I did that.

Miette’s surprise that she’d promised me came almost right away.

“Her Espurr!”

Instead of the lavender kitten-like creature I’d come to expect, a midnight blue, sleek, gorgeous feline stood on-screen. Thankfully Ruby had been sitting next to me, and the boy pulled out his Pokedex.

“Meowstic, the Constraint Pokemon and the evolved form of Espurr. When in danger, it raises its ears and releases enough psychic power to grind a 10-ton truck to dust.”

Ruby’s brow furrowed. “Better hope he keeps his ears shut, then.”

Predictably, Miette and her Pokemon passed on to the next round. However, that wasn’t the only surprise we’d have today. Pierre announced the next group, a familiar name included, and as the three made their way on stage, I was floored.

“SERENA!?” 

Everyone in the hotel lobby turned to stare at my outburst. But how could I help it: the girl had chopped off most of her hair!

From my other side, Lisia commented, “She looks good like that.”

Ruby hummed in agreement. Of course I didn’t think she didn’t look good, but what had possessed her to do such a thing? Finally drawing my eyes away from her new haircut, I noticed that she also wore an incredibly gorgeous dress that could only be described as a garden meeting Japanese couture.

“Ooh, that must be one of Valerie’s designs!” Lisia exclaimed. “I’d recognize one of those anywhere!”

“Valerie… like the gym leader?” Ruby asked.

“Not just like her, it is her!”

We noted Serena’s new Pokemon partners: Braixen, the Fox Pokemon and evolved form of Fennekin and Pancham, the Playful Pokemon, according to Ruby’s Pokedex. Serena also made it on to the next round. I felt myself sit straighter in anticipation. Of course I rooted mostly for Miette, but I couldn’t help but cheer for Serena too! After what she’d experienced at the Coumarine TriPokalon, well… I only wanted the best for her. Or, for her to at least have an appeal go off without a hitch!

“You okay, Hoshiko?” Ruby asked me, startling me out of my thoughts.

“What, is something wrong?”

“You’re clenching your fists,” he replied, gently placing a hand on mine.

Jerking said fist away, I snapped, “I’m fine, just worried about Serena!” I hadn’t meant to come across quite so aggressive, but before I could add anything, Ruby looked back at the screen, saying nothing.

Miette’s appeal came first, and her Slurpuff and Meowstic took the stage.

“I didn’t even know Cotton Spore could be used like that!” Lisia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. Right, Cotton Spore was a regular part of her routines, too.

“Miette must trust Meowstic quite a bit to have him control her flight with his Psychic attack,” Ruby mused. I nodded in agreement.

As her appeal ended, I found myself… slightly unimpressed. I thought Miette had more in her. No, I knew Miette had more in her. Especially after what we’d seen at Lumiose City, with her fireworks display over the Prism Tower…!

A little later on, Serena closed out the show. But somehow, her dress didn’t look the same… hadn’t it had a tulip shape at the bottom before? But now, the edges seemed trimmed almost, jagged and much less elegant than they had been previously. I was sure she wouldn’t do that without reason; had something already gone wrong before her appeal began?

Serena looked terrified, her large, cerulean eyes wider than usual. Her Pokemon stared straight at her, seeming to say words of encouragement. Well, could Pokemon do that? But somehow, Serena stood a little straighter at what must have been her Pokemon saying their own names.

As soon as Serena’s appeal began, I was… captivated. Not by her Pokemon, who were indeed marvelous, but by the girl herself. She managed to spin on one foot expertly, while her Pokemon danced around her. Of course, Braixen’s flame geysers and Pancham’s sparkling Dark Pulses were gorgeous. But the ease and gracefulness of the performer herself drew me in.

As I turned to ask Lisia if she knew Serena's style of dance, I felt an arm grab my waist. 

“You’re gonna fall!”

I’d been sitting too close to the edge, and apparently if I’d scooted any closer to the TV I wouldn’t have been sitting on the sofa anymore. I turned to meet Lisia’s concerned glance. Flushing, I managed to reply, “I guess I got too into it!” 

I turned back to the screen just in time for me to hear Serena to shout, “FINISHED!”, her Pokemon posing beside her.

“Serena won,” I declared.

I turned to my right, where Ruby stared at me. I turned to my left, where Lisia shook her head.

“I think the other Performers were just as good.”

“I don’t know, Miette and Jessilina did well too, don’t you think?”

Clearly they didn’t see what I had… or was I hallucinating?

“You don’t…” Lisia began.

“I don’t what?”

“You don’t… _like_ Serena, do you?”

“Wha—!” I gasped. “No, it’s nothing like that! But, her dancing…” I trailed off. That was a fair point; why had I been so drawn in by her dancing in a competition that was about Pokemon?

“Oh yeah, I was thinking about that too, actually,” Lisia replied. “It looks like she has some training in classical dance. Ballet, probably.”

Ballet! That’s what it was called! I resolved to ask Serena to teach me some basic moves next time we met.

“Come to think of it, you remember the _chaines_ step I had you do during our last competition?” I nodded. “That’s one of the building blocks for ballet.”

“So, can you teach me more ballet?” I asked eagerly.

Shaking her head, Lisia replied, “I’m a modern dancer. I know some ballet, but I haven’t practiced the basics enough to really teach you from the beginning.”

I sighed, then turned to Ruby in desperation. “Do you—?”

“No,” he replied quickly.

After a slightly awkward silence, the commercial break ended and we all tuned into the results. I found myself rooting for Serena. If anything, she should win a “most improved” superlative!

“Congratulations to our winner…”

The lights dimmed, and only Pierre’s luminous trenchcoat lit the stage. As soon as the spotlights turned back on, illuminating the victor, I felt myself jump from my seat—

“… Performer Serena!”

\--

Reminiscing about the previous day’s events and realizations managed to last me all the way to Santalune City. Surprisingly, neither Ruby nor Lisia had bothered to talk to me the entire way, which at our above-average pace had taken us three hours.

“I’m tired!” Lisia whined. She grabbed Ruby’s hand and dragged him towards the hotel.

I walked towards the Pokemon Center. I didn’t feel like turning in just yet. Perhaps there would be someone or something interesting at the Pokemon Center. Unfortunately, the place was dead quiet. With a sigh, I finally arrived at my last resort.

“Hi, honey!” A soft, gently lined face appeared on the screen. Dark brown eyes lined with crow’s feet lighted at the sight of me, and a tanned hand ran through salt and pepper hair out of habit.

“Hey Dad,” I replied, managing a smile.

“You haven’t called in a while, you know.”

“I know.” The last time I’d spoken with them was on my birthday, just about a month ago. And they’d called, not me. “I’ve been busy.”

“Is that Astrid?” Mom’s voice came from a different room, perhaps the kitchen or the TV room. The woman managed to squeeze her way into the shot, exclaiming, “Astie! You were supposed to call us every week!”

“I know, I know!” I repeated. “But I’m calling, now, so…”

“How are things? And what exactly are you up to?”

“I’ve been participating in TriPokalon—”

“WHAAAT!?” Mom shrieked. Dad flinched in the corner of the screen. “You have? I always scroll past that channel. I wish I’d known sooner!”

“It’s fine,” I assured. “I have two Princess Keys, so I only need one more until I qualify for the Master Class competition.”

“I never thought you’d be interested in something so…” Mom trailed off, fiddling with her hair. She finally decided to put her stick straight hair – I’d definitely inherited her locks – up into a high ponytail, before continuing, “… so feminine.”

I felt myself cringe. “It’s the closest thing they have to Pokemon Contests—”

“It’s not a bad thing Astrid! Own it!” Mom encouraged. “Your outfit has changed too. Soon you’ll get a new haircut, start wearing makeup—”

My face pinched tightly, and I vaguely felt my shoulders tense. I went to whine, Moooom, but my dad somehow beat me to it. “Victoria,” he said sternly, surprising the both of us. “Clearly Astrid doesn’t like this train of thought, so let’s leave it alone.”

“I’m proud of you, Astrid,” Mom said. Her hazel eyes glowed as if to confirm her words. “I’ll definitely come out to see your next competition!”

“Maybe wait until the Master Class,” I managed to say. The apprehension in my mind spread to my chest, where I subconsciously placed a wrapped fist. I wasn’t quite ready for Mom or Dad to meet my friends, and to know about my new name and identity…

Mom didn’t seem bothered by it. “Sure! Just let us know when and where as soon as you qualify, and I’ll definitely come and watch you.”

Dad and I chatted a while about how his job was going ( _“Great! We’re discovering new things about fossils every day!”_ ) and I let him know about how Amaura was growing ( _“It hasn’t evolved yet, but it’s still doing well in competitions and battles!”_ ). I introduced the two of them to Spritzee and told them the story of how we’d met. After a while, we had nothing more to update each other on, so I told them goodbye.

“Hoshiko!”

My head snapped to attention, just as the video feed ended. I turned to see Ruby, his eyes wide and eager.

“Would you like to get dinner?”

Smiling, I responded, “Of course!”

Part of me couldn’t wait to share this world with my parents, but between the almost dying, fake name, and the fact that I was kinda-sorta going on dates, or whatever, I didn’t feel ready to tell them anything at all.

Well, I’ve got at least until the Master Class competition, at any rate. Whenever that’s going to be.


	12. The Disearnest Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star has a tag battle with an unexpected partner.

**_The Disearnest Man_ ** _  
August_

“September 2nd!”

I turned to face Lisia, whose face shone with intense determination.

“What’s September 2nd?” I asked her.

“The Master Class competition!” she clarified, striking the Lisia Pose. “We’ve only got a month to get our last Princess Keys!” 

I felt my hands grip into fists. A month… well, we’d better get searching for the next TriPokalon! A very familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

I snapped up to meet familiar sapphire eyes.

“Ooh, it’s Monsieur Pierre!” Lisia chirped, fixing her gaze towards the TV as well.

“The next TriPokalon locations have been confirmed!” He raised his staff in the air, and tossed it lightly. Klefki jumped or slid or something? off, spinning around Pierre before floating right next to his head. “Next week’s competition will be in Snowbelle City, with another following the week after in Anistar City!”

“Snowbelle! That’s where we’re going, Hoshi!” Lisia exclaimed, putting down the date of the TriPokalon in her PokeGear.

“See you there! _Au revoir!_ ”

Lisia grabbed my hand and pulled us up to our room. We’d spent the night in Santalune City, and though it was almost noon, Ruby still hadn’t come down to the lobby.

“Ruby!” Lisia whined, banging on the door.

The boy answered, rubbing a towel through his still wet hair. “Yes?”

“Let’s hurry to Snowbelle City!”

Ruby looked from Lisia, to me, back to Lisia again. “Um, isn’t that what we’re doing already?”

“No, let’s huuuurry!” she emphasized the last word, hands on her hips. “We have a TriPokalon coming up there, too! On…” She paused, consulting her PokeGear. “… August 9th! That’s like, five days away!”

“That isn’t like five days away, it is five days away,” Ruby muttered. But instead of arguing further, the boy placed the towel over the towel rack, and stuffed his unkempt hair into his blue beanie. “Fine, let’s at least eat first, and then go.”

“Yay!” Lisia chirped, holding both my hands in hers. “We need to start practicing right away, Hoshi!”

We finally made our way out during late afternoon, passing through the entrance to Victory Road, where Ruby spoke with some trainers who’d already secured their eight badges. Seeming fired up from his conversations, he blazed through the next route almost as eagerly as Lisia. I couldn’t muster up that same enthusiasm, but I did manage to keep a few paces behind the two. However, we soon hit a roadblock.

“No one can pass through here right now,” a young man stated. The man seemed official in the most unofficial way possible; he’d slapped a bright orange reflective vest over his attire, but his baggy cargo pants and plain white t-shirt sure didn’t seem like any sort of outfit to wear at work.

Ruby and Lisia both went off on him:

“My gym battle—”

“The TriPokalon—”

“There’s a blizzard, so all of those things are going to have to wait,” he sighed, waving his hand at the two dismissively. “Everyone is sheltering in place, and we can’t have folks going over there. Especially with the three of you dressed like that.”

“What’s wrong with our clothes?!” Lisia snapped, but Ruby held her back.

“It’s fine. We’ll stay in that bed and breakfast over there,” Ruby said, but he too seemed frustrated.

“Hey, that’s too much anger, you know?” the guard said. “Maybe release some of that with a good battle, right?”

“You—”

“Let’s do it!” I piped up. Lisia and Ruby turned to face me, seeming to have forgotten that I was there as well. “Guard Guy and me versus the two of you.”

Ruby seemed pensive, but Lisia responded right away. “That’s a waste of my time!”

“No, it’s not. A battle is a great way to get ready for the TriPokalon, right?”

The guard smirked. “If you two win, then I guess I can let you in on a safer route into the city. It’ll take an extra day or two, but at least you’ll avoid the brunt of the blizzard.”

“How long will it take if we just wait normally?” Lisia demanded, but she seemed less riled up than before.

“Oh, who knows?” the guard replied, shrugging noncommittally. “Days? Weeks?”

“Let’s do it, Ruby!” Lisia hadn’t even waited a moment before changing her mind.

“… fine,” Ruby said. The developing smile tugging at his lips betrayed his unamused tone.

“A’right!” Guard Guy announced. He raked his right hand through his slate gray hair before offering it to me. “I’m Ernesto.”

The name sounded so much like earnest, something this guy definitely wasn’t, that I laughed. Gripping his hand in mine, I shook and replied, “I’m Hoshiko.”

“All right, gorgeous, let’s get this started!” He kept ahold of my hand, and with a spin, brought me over to his side. 

I turned to face Ruby and Lisia, the former unable to hide a scowl on his face. Lisia held one Pokeball in each hand, looking from one to the other in what seemed to be indecision. Ruby looked much less indecisive.

“Solrock!” he announced simply, throwing the Pokeball in the air. “We’ve gotta train for the Snowbelle Gym.”

I seemed to recall something along the lines of rock types being effective against ice types. Perhaps the Snowbelle City gym leader used ice Pokemon? And then, I realized, _of course_ the Snowbelle City gym leader would use ice types.

“Mari!” Lisia decided, selecting her newer addition. The sheep Pokemon burst forth with a forwards spin, landing on one leg.

I considered the two in front of me: one floating, one landlocked; one a rock type, one an electric type; one a battler, one a performer.

“Malamar, I choose you!”

The Pokemon Ernesto sent out landed gently in front of him, staring menacingly at the opposing team. I’d never seen such a creepy Pokemon.

I could barely hear from the other side of the field Ruby’s Pokedex drone out, “Malamar, the Overturning Pokemon. It wields the most compelling hypnotic powers of any Pokémon, and it forces others to do whatever it wants.”

How terrifying!

“Not particularly. Don’t judge ‘til you see him in action!” Ernest exclaimed.

I felt myself jump in surprise. Had I said that out loud?

“You most certainly did, sweet,” Ernesto replied.

I could only bring my palm to my face and rest it there. Clearly I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself.

I thought about the upcoming competition. Snowbelle City’s competition would likely involve snow or ice somehow, right? And which of my Pokemon were best suited for the cold? Two of them came to mind immediately, and only a second later my hand reached for a particular Pokeball.

“Torkoal, give it your all!”

The tortoise Pokemon emerged with a bang, much less clearly a performer than Lisia’s Flaaffy. Once it realized the situation, a battle instead of a contest, it turned back towards me and nodded enthusiastically. Perhaps we all should battle more often.

Ruby wasted no time. “Solrock, draw in close to Torkoal!”

Rock… how is rock against fire? I thought to myself. Probably not great, for Torkoal anyway. Don’t you shovel rocks and dirt on fire to put it out? “Torkoal, Iron Defense!”

“Mari, Cotton Spore on Torkoal!”

“Intercept that, Malamar!”

I watched the scene unfold in front of me: Solrock quickly closed the gap between itself and Torkoal, as Mari released cotton wisps in the same direction. Malamar easily got there first, taking the attack on itself.

“Whaat!” Lisia exclaimed, her piercing tone easily heard from across the battlefield. “Why would you go and do that—”

“Foul Play!”

Malamar moved so quickly, it seemed a black and blue streak in midair. Mari didn’t have the chance to dodge, nor Lisia the chance to command much of anything. Hand on one hip, Ernesto smirked proudly. “Malamar’s innate ability, Contrary. Don’t you think of trying any of those status lowering moves against us!”

“That—” Lisia sputtered. “That’s the one which increases a Pokemon’s stat when an attack that’s supposed to lower that stat is used!”

“Which means that a move meant to slow Torkoal brought Malamar’s speed near its max,” Ruby finished, stating what had become obvious.

In order to take advantage of their confusion, I knew I needed to strike now: “Torkoal, Fire Spin!”

“Rapid Spin, Solrock!”

I realized suddenly that both Ruby’s Pokemon and my Pokemon had very similar moves. Rapid Spin, Fire Spin… I wondered if I could use that to my advantage, somehow. Solrock’s spinning worked alongside the Fire Spin, fueling the flames. Watching the flames grow larger fueled a new idea.

“Ernesto!” I hissed. The man turned, nodding ever so slightly. “Do you think you can draw Mari – Flaaffy, I mean – over towards Solrock?”

Instead of a response, Ernesto commanded, “Malamar, use Hypnosis!”

Of course he could do that, I realized. Hadn’t Ruby’s Pokedex just said that Malamar had powers of suggestion? Mari was unable to resist, and the pink sheep Pokemon teetered from side to side.

“Now Constrict!”

“Wha—” Lisia gasped, unable to say anything.

“Torkoal, use Overheat towards Solrock! Then Rapid Spin!”

I turned to look across the battlefield, where Lisia and Ruby both stood in shock. Unlike our opposition, Torkoal didn’t hesitate, and launched itself into the flames, spinning alongside Solrock. Malamar meanwhile grabbed Mari up into its tentacles, and the Pokemon, unable to control its own body, couldn’t resist.

Ernesto seemed to get what I’d planned. “Malamar, let’s join in on the fun, shall we? Throw Mari over into the flames!”

“No!” Lisia exclaimed, horrorstricken.

“Solrock!” Ruby cried, without following up. The poor boy seemed to be wracking his brain for a solution. He turned to Lisia, quickly muttered something that I couldn’t hear, the girl nodded in response, then Ruby said, “Rock Throw, quickly!”

Solrock created rocks from somewhere, and spun them against the flames. The contact between earth and fire caused the flames to die out suddenly, all three Pokemon caught in the attack. Solrock and Torkoal emerged still standing, while Mari predictably couldn’t take all of that damage and fainted. Lisia recalled the Pokemon, murmuring sadly to the Pokeball, before taking a seat on a nearby bench.

“How… how is Torkoal still standing!?” Ruby gasped. After a moment, his lips betrayed a smile and he shook his head. “I should have expected that from you, Hoshiko.”

“What does that—!?” I began, but Ernesto thrust his arm in front of me.

“Not now, sweet,” he said. “We’ve still got a battle to win.”

“Right! You still good to go, Torkoal?”

“Koal!” it responded, nodding emphatically.

“Solrock, Gyro Ball on Torkoal!” Ruby commanded.

“Rapid Spin!”

Ruby gaped a moment, then frowned, crossing his arms. “That’s a smart move.”

I think most people assume that because I’m not book smart, that means I don’t have a good memory – not true! I remembered Gyro Ball from Ruby’s previous gym battle, and that if its used against a slower Pokemon, it does more damage, so having Torkoal Rapid Spin to increase its speed was the obvious counter!

Torkoal intercepted the metallic orb, then headed towards Solrock. I checked Ruby’s face, hoping to see his shock, but instead, the weirdo was _smiling_!

“Solrock, Fire Spin!”

He trapped Torkoal in the flames, though admittedly the fire type took little damage.

“Now get ‘em with Gyro Ball!”

“Wait—”

Ack, now he used that fact against me – unmoving, Torkoal would have a much lower speed than Solrock! Gyro Ball scored a direct hit against the trapped Torkoal, who finally collapsed just below Solrock.

“Great job, Sol—”

“Payback.”

I whipped around to see Ernesto, who I’d almost forgotten was standing and fighting right beside me. The speedy Malamar wasted no time in closing the gap between itself and Solrock, and delivered the final blow of the battle.

“—rock,” Ruby finished his cheer in a mumble, then recalled the Pokemon. “You did great.”

“Torkoal!” I exclaimed, running across the field to meet the tortoise Pokemon. It raised its head weakly and smiled. “You did amazing. Have a good rest and I’ll get you healed as soon as I can!”

Ernesto also called Malamar back, and joined me right across from Ruby and Lisia. “That was such a pumped battle! Now, to show the three of you my super secret.”

“What?” Lisia said, cocking her head to one side. “But we lost.”

“Yes, you did,” Ernesto concurred. “But, I wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for this sweet thing here.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I fought hard to work down a blush. “It was her idea that ultimately caused Flaaffy to faint, giving us the advantage in the end. And I wouldn’t have been able to swoop in with Malamar’s Payback at the very end there if she hadn’t gotten Solrock to strike first.”

“That’s our Hoshi!” Lisia quickly changed her tune, now singing my praises, I guess. Whatever works for her.

“I’ll be your guide,” Ernesto announced, pride in his voice and his posture. “Let’s get to it!”

“You’re going to come with us?”

All eyes were on Ruby after his remark. He seemed… no, more than seemed… very disapproving. His arms folded tightly across his chest, he offered no follow up.

“Well, it’s easy to get lost on this alternate route,” Ernesto explained. “C’mon, it won’t be for long. Two days, tops.”

Ruby frowned, but said nothing.

“That’s a yes!” Lisia translated.

“Whatever,” Ruby clarified. I guess.

“Then, it’s settled!” Ernesto declared. “Let’s hit the road, Jack!”

“It’s Ruby,” Ruby mumbled. I laughed, and he glared. “Is something funny?”

“No,” I said turning away from him and towards where Ernesto gazed on. “Let’s go!”

\--

As promised, we made it out of Ernesto’s long-cut in two days.

“Wow, it’s Snowbelle City!” Lisia announced, almost as if needing to verbally confirm that we’d actually made it.

“It’s freezing,” Ruby muttered.

“The blizzard’s still going strong! I wouldn’t have been able to let you in the other way in this weather, so we definitely took the quicker route,” Ernesto announced proudly. “Well, I’m gonna head off now. But you three take care!”

“Bye Ernesto!” Lisia and I both exclaimed, waving after him. “Let’s find some sh-sh-sh-shelter!” Lisia followed up, shuddering. She still wore her normal outfit. Her lack of clothing along with the weather would have killed anyone else, but the girl held strong.

“Over here!” Ruby cried, waving us to him. Somehow, as we’d been seeing Ernesto off, he’d found a hotel.

We checked in for the night, and Lisia and I consulted our calendars for what would come next.

“Well, it’s the 6th now, and the TriPokalon is on the 9th, so…” Lisia mumbled, counting on her fingers. “We’ve got tomorrow and the day after to practice, and that’s all!”

The weather outside was horrendous, and I couldn’t help but think that there might be no prospect of practicing anything at all. But I wouldn’t say that to the girl, who seemed so distraught already.

“Hopefully this blizzard clears up, then,” Ruby said. Well, I guess someone’s gotta say it.

“Ugh, you’re right! Ali definitely can’t practice in this!” Lisia whined.

I already had my strategy, though – a fire type and an ice type would be perfect for this type of weather. Satisfied with this, I pulled up the covers and tuned the other two out for some well-needed rest.


	13. A Crash Course in Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star sheds her light for someone else.

**_A Crash Course in Trust_ ** _  
August_

“Check this out, Hoshi!”

Once again, Lisia’s piercing voice struck through my dreams and my sleep to bring me back to the world of the living. Managing to see through sleep-clouded vision, I recognized that Lisia was holding something that looked like clothes.

“… yes…?”

“I got us matching uniforms. LOOK HOSHI!”

I jolted up at her outburst, nearly banging my head on the headboard.

“Ack! For what!” I spat out, startled.

“We’re going to cheer on Ruby during his gym match today, right? So I got us matching cheerleading uniforms!”

“Absolutely not.”

“Aww, Hoshi, you haven’t even looked! LOOK!”

“ENOUGH!”

I snatched the outfit from her and tried to focus on it. Of course, it was entirely too puffy and revealing for me. It seemed that she tried to take my more conservative preferences into account, but really she only _tried_.

“C’mon, get changed! Ruby’s already at the gym, I think!” 

Lisia somehow dragged me out of bed (since when is she that strong!?) and shoved me over to the bathroom with only that ridiculous uniform. Well. Why not?

 _There are so many reasons why not!_ I immediately argued against my other thought. But I put it on, anyway. The top, as it turned out, was relatively conservative and covered most of my chest. The white top gave way to a navy blue knee-length skirt that had puffy cloud-like trim at the bottom hem. All in all… not horrible.

“Aww, you look so cute!” Lisia chirped. She’d changed into her own version of the outfit, which only differed in skirt color; Lisia’s skirt was pink.

“We’re going to be freezing like this,” I grumbled.

Lisia handed me a knee-length jacket in navy blue to match my skirt, and put on her own pink one. “I thought of that, of course!”

Slipping into my white mary janes, and sighing in mock-defeat, I headed for the door, Lisia following.

\--

“Rubeus Senri of Littleroot Town, eh?”

When Lisia and I arrived to the scene, an older, gruff, very large man grilled Ruby about his identity.

“That’s me,” he replied, standing his ground.

The older gentleman – likely the gym leader – laughed. Well, if it could be called that. It seemed closer to a growl than an actual human noise. “Very good! I am Wulfric, the Snowbelle City gym leader. Ice… is incredibly hard and terribly fragile at the same time.”

“I know,” Ruby replied. “I have a close friend… she trains with an ice type Pokemon.”

 _Does he mean me?_ I wondered. After all, my trusty starter was an ice type. Then I realized… _When did I become a close friend?_

“Very good! So you know that this battle may be very easy or extremely difficult depending on which Pokemon you select. Let us begin!”

“GO RUBY!” Lisia cheered from next to me. Ruby startled, then looked up at us, seeming almost to admire us in the cheerleading outfits.

“E—Eyes on the field, Ruby!” I chastised. He flushed and turned around.

“I see you’ve got a cheering squad. Good for you, lad!” Wulfric exclaimed, letting loose another of those bark-laughs. “I’ll start us off, then. Abomasnow, go!”

“Time to show ‘em, Solrock!”

“THAT’S A GREAT MATCHUP, RUBY!” Lisia announced, shaking her cheer puffs.

I leaned over the edge of the viewing platform railing, trying to gauge the look on Ruby’s face. He seemed determined… but also unsure.

“Ice Shard!”

“Fire Spin!”

The two attacks met in the center of the field, Fire Spin winning out easily over Ice Shard. Abomasnow took a direct hit.

“Why didn’t he have Abomasnow dodge? That would have been an easy one,” I muttered.

“Dunno,” Lisia replied. “That’s kinda like you, though, don’t you think? You don’t make your Pokemon dodge, either.”

Huh. Guess she’s right. And very observant.

“Show me some more, Rubeus!”

“Get in close with Rapid Spin!”

“Grab it when it gets close, Abomasnow.”

“No—”

But unfortunately for the boy, Wulfric’s Pokemon was able to grab his. As hail fell from the sky, pelting Solrock relentlessly, Ruby remained helpless to Wulfric’s next attack.

“Energy Ball!”

“F—Fire Spin, Solrock!”

Both attacks hit their mark, and each Pokemon seemed exhausted from taking the blows. Thankfully, Solrock had been able to make its way free from Abomasnow’s grasp, but one more move like that would spell disaster for it and for Ruby.

“Ice Beam!”

“Fire—” Ruby stopped mid-command, seeming to consider something. “Rapid Spin!” he amended. From where we stood, I could see the boy crossing his fingers behind his back.

“YOU’VE GOT THIS, RUBY!”

“Hah!” Wulfric barked. “You’ve got guts, that’s for sure!”

“Keep going… and Fire Spin!”

Solrock managed to cloak itself in flame just in time to intercept the icy attack. It blasted straight through the ice, slamming directly into Abomasnow. The frost tree Pokemon slammed into the ground, unable to continue.

“Very good, Abomasnow,” Wulfric said, recalling the Pokemon. He readied his next choice: “Cryogonal, go!”

One of the most unusual Pokemon I’d ever seen materialized on Wulfric’s side of the field. Perhaps it could be best described as a floating hexagonal ice crystal structure.

“ONE DOWN TWO TO GO!” Lisia cheered.

“Yeah,” I contributed. “Math.”

“Rock Throw!”

“Use Confuse Ray!”

Since Solrock needed to close in to Cryogonal in order to use Rock Throw, the meteorite Pokemon wasn’t able to dodge the Confuse Ray. As a result, it launched itself back towards Ruby’s side of the field, narrowly missing the boy and slamming itself into the wall behind him.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Great, now I’m cheering. Or something.

“Flash Cannon.”

“Solrock, get out of the—”

Unfortunately, the poor Pokemon was far too confused to follow that instruction, and fainted upon Flash Cannon’s contact.

“Ugh. Return, Solrock,” Ruby mumbled. I figured he’d hoped to get one more knockout out of Solrock, as the rest of his team wasn’t particularly strong against ice. “Pikachu, time to show ‘em!”

The little heart-tailed Pikachu burst forth, landing on her tail instead of her paws.

“Pikachu, use Quick Attack!”

The electric mouse Pokemon mostly slid around on the ice instead of actually doing anything helpful. Ruby groaned, slapping one palm to his face.

“Cryogonal, Ice Beam!”

“Dodge—”

Pikachu had too much trouble controlling her movement and her speed, and lost control on the ice. Cryogonal managed to score a direct hit with Ice Beam, pushing the mouse Pokemon back.

“Land on your tail, Pikachu!”

As Pikachu came out of her spin, she managed to right herself and land directly on her tail.

“Man, this ice is slippery…” Ruby muttered to himself. Then, as far as I could tell from my position, his right hand gripped into a fist. “I got it! Pikachu, stay where you are and use Discharge!”

Pikachu released the charge through her tail, and the electricity spread quickly across the ice, reaching Cryogonal in no time.

“Keep it up, Pikachu!”

Somehow, she managed to continue releasing electricity across the field, and Cryogonal kept taking damage. Why didn’t Wulfric say anything?

… other than the laughter he just let out.

“Hah! I underestimated you, Rubeus!” He smiled, or I guess he did through that overly bushy mustache of his. “Cryogonal, use Ice Beam all around you!”

The crystalline Pokemon managed to refreeze all of the water near it, slowing and mostly stopping the conduction of electricity.

“Confuse Ray!”

“Jump, Pikachu!”

Pikachu managed to dodge the attack, spinning in midair. She almost seemed like she were in a performance. Huh, I wonder if she would enjoy—

“Pikachu, follow up with a Quick Volt Tackle!”

What was that!?

“That’s a combination move, Hoshi!” Lisia chirped from beside me.

A combination move! Right, like Amaura’s Frost Down, a combination of Frost Breath and Take Down. So this must be a mix of Quick Attack and Volt Tackle. Ruby and his Pikachu were very… performer-like today. Because of her speed, Pikachu scored a hit on Cryogonal before Wulfric had the chance to react. The crystallizing Pokemon crashed into the ground, and struggled to raise itself, but couldn’t.

“YES RUBY, YES!” Lisia screamed directly into my ear.

Admittedly, I was incredibly impressed with how Ruby and Pikachu had battled thus far, so I added, “Keep it up, you’re doing great!”

Ruby turned slightly, a smirk on his lips, and gave the both of us a thumbs up. Somehow, seeing that confidence in his eyes and in his mouth made my cheeks warm. From beside me, Lisia stifled a giggle into her pompoms, her face flushed slightly. I think it may have had a similar effect on her. But why—

One of Wulfric’s booming howls interrupted my thoughts.

“Hah! You are doing well, boy! You’ve made me get to my last resort. Avalugg!”

The Pokemon that popped out of the Pokeball fell to the ground with an earth-shattering smash. I’d never seen anything like that Pokemon! It almost seemed like an iceberg with legs, glistening harshly in the gym lights. Ruby pulled out his Pokedex, which recited its description of the Pokemon in an electronic voice that echoed against the icy walls of the arctic gym.

“Avalugg, the iceberg Pokemon. Its ice-covered body is as hard as steel. Its cumbersome frame crushes anything that stands in its way.” 

Sounds ruthless… Ruby hardly seemed perturbed by that description, though, and quickly charged in. “Pikachu, Quick Attack!”

“That’s so reckless!” Lisia gasped. “Just like someone else I know…”

“Who?” I asked.

Lisia laughed, and though she clearly heard me, ignored my question. But I should have realized it sooner: she was talking about _me_.

Lisia’s girly giggling quickly got lost in Wulfric’s booming roar. “Hah! Hah! You certainly are brave. Avalugg, use Hail!”

The iceberg Pokemon let out a roar, and the metaphorical heavens opened up. Hail fell from above the battlers, and while Avalugg seemed unharmed, Pikachu slowed down considerably.

Ruby gulped visibly, gripping his hands into fists. “Push through it! Give it your all, Pikachu! Volt Tackle!”

Wulfric folded his arms across his chest, but said nothing. Pikachu’s attack connected, but all the repeated recoil-causing attacks, combined with the hail falling onto the field, left it barely able to stand.

“Avalanche,” Wulfric commanded calmly.

A cloud appeared in the sky above Pikachu, and ice crystals rained on the Pokemon. Pikachu fell instantly, knocked out.

“Return,” Ruby muttered, recalling the spent Pokemon. Seeming to consider his options, he finally decided on: “Swampert, I’m counting on you!”

His starter Pokemon burst forth with a roar, standing tall despite the hail pelting down on it.

Ruby wasted no time getting down to business. “Earthquake!”

Swampert slammed its giant hands on the ice, causing the field to shake uncontrollably. Wulfric seemed unbothered, commanding Avalugg to once again use Avalanche as soon as the quakes stopped.

“Why is Wulfric letting Ruby score so much damage on him?” I asked myself.

Lisia hummed from next to me, then pulled out a Pokedex of her own. “Well,” she began, holding the computer out with one hand and bringing her pompom to her chin with the other. She would have looked smart and pensive if it weren’t for the cheer gear, which just made her look silly. “According to the Pokedex, Avalanche always goes last and deals the most damage if the user has sustained damage in that turn,” Lisia read.

Wait, so getting attacked was part of Wulfric’s strategy!? Avalugg wouldn’t last much longer if it kept taking damage like this! But then, I noticed out on the field, the hail touching Avalugg glowed green, and the Pokemon stood straighter with each hailstone. What…?

“Does hail heal ice types?” I asked Lisia.

“Some,” she replied. “I think it’s some kind of Ability.”

Right, Abilities. I remembered that much from my studies. An innate quality that each Pokemon is born with to further enhance its fighting abilities.

“Shit.” Ruby let loose one of his rare curses, seeming completely unsure of how to deal with the Pokemon before him. 

Wulfric took advantage of the moment of weakness, commanding, “Blizzard!”

Ruby, too deep in thought to even notice Wulfric’s command, said nothing, allowing Swampert to take the attack.

“HEAD IN THE GAME, RUBY!”

I turned to Lisia to roll her eyes at what she’d just said, but met her eyes staring back at me, her lips pursed tightly. Wait, did I just—

Ruby turned to face me for the briefest of moments, adjusting the black and blue camo beanie slightly on his head, before turning back. I caught the hint of a smile tugging at his lips before his face disappeared completely from view. “Swampert, Muddy Water!”

Swampert’s attack froze in the wake of the blizzard, effectively shielding it from further attack.

“Hah! Hiding won’t help you here!” Wulfric growled. As if to confirm his words, the hail came stronger, slamming directly into Swampert.

“We’re not hiding, Wulfric,” Ruby replied.

“Then show yourself!”

“Mud Shot!”

Swampert blasted a ball of mud through the frozen block, striking Avalugg directly.

“Avalanche!”

“No!” Ruby roared over the gathering storm. “Get out of the way!”

Try as it may, Swampert was unable to get out from under the cloud. As it released its onslaught, Ruby snapped his fingers in realization and shouted, “Water Gun into the cloud!”

Swampert opened its mouth, poised to strike—but nothing happened! The avalanche struck its target dead on, nothing keeping it from scoring a critical hit.

“Swampert!” Ruby gasped, putting his hand to his mouth. “Why didn’t Water Gun work?” he muttered to himself. He then looked up suddenly and spat out, “Unless… you’ve forgotten how to use Water Gun because you’ve learned something else—!”

“Crunch!” Wulfric roared, thrusting his arm forth.

“Swampert…” Ruby took several steps forward, so that he stood directly behind Swampert. Why was he doing that? He’d be right in the way of the aftermath of Avalugg’s strike! Bringing his arms up, palms facing out towards the other side of the field, Ruby struck the most vulnerable pose I’d ever seen on him. “Swampert, whatever this new move you have is, please, use it! I trust you!”

Right, Water Gun hadn’t worked, so Ruby guessed that Swampert had learned something to replace it. But what if Swampert just hadn’t had enough time to let the attack free? Or what if the new move were something that would do nothing to strike back against Avalugg? _What the hell are you up to, Ruby!?_

Lisia gripped my arm, shaking. The pompom she’d been holding fell at my feet. “If this doesn’t work, Ruby could really get hurt,” she said, so quietly that I could barely hear her from right next to me.

I closed my eyes, unable to witness what could possibly happen next. But then, Ruby’s shout snapped me out of it: “I believe in you!”

Trust. Belief. I knew then I had to open my eyes, to show that same trust in Swampert and in Ruby. Next to me, Lisia cowered behind her pompoms, barely peeking one eye out.

Avalugg drew closer to Swampert, and closer to Ruby as well. My heart threatened to pound straight out of my chest. I believed in Swampert, sure, but would that belief be enough?

Suddenly, Swampert drew its arm forth and brought it down on Avalugg with a bang that echoed throughout the gym. The force against Avalugg’s head caused it to slam into the battlefield below. What was—

“Hammer Arm!” Ruby gasped.

Avalugg collapsed, not completely undone, but seeming close to its limit. I knew Ruby’s tendency to get overconfident would kick in soon, and I wracked my brain for anything that might stop it from happening. However, Ruby and Wulfric started back again before I had the chance to say anything:

“Use Muddy Water!”

“Blizzard!”

This time, Wulfric used Ruby’s previous strategy against him, freezing Ruby’s offensive.

“Who’s hiding now?” Ruby asked, smugness oozing from his voice.

Wulfric roared with laughter, seeming more amused than threatened by Ruby’s cockiness. “Hah! That’s great! Your confidence is well deserved at this point!” Wulfric sobered up slightly, seeming more serious than he had up until that point. “Avalugg, charge into the frozen wave, then follow up with another Blizzard!”

The iceberg Pokemon slammed into the brown ice block, cracking a hole straight in the middle. It followed up with a freezing attack, somehow more focused and intense from channeling through the hole in the wall.

“I wonder…” Lisia mumbled. I startled; I’d completely forgotten the girl was there. “Do you think Ruby’s going to play it safe? Or take a risk?”

“What?” I asked in return. She looked straight into my eyes, not responding. I took that as my cue to continue, “Well, from what I’ve seen of Ruby thus far, I think it’s likely that he’ll attack back.”

“Really?” Lisia inquired, her sapphire eyes glimmering. “I don’t think that sounds like Ruby, not the way I knew him.”

As I paused to consider the girl’s words, Ruby issued his next command: “Rush into the blizzard, Swampert!”

Ruby’s reaction proved me right, as the mudfish Pokemon barreled into the storm. Somehow, though Swampert must have been tired, it managed to push through the attack. 

“Mud Shot!”

Ruby, in an impressive move that I wouldn’t have expected from him, used the hole that Wulfric and Avalugg formed to his own advantage as well. The muddy blast crashed through the ice wall, shattering it into pieces that fell to Swampert’s feet. Both Pokemon looked exhausted, and the trainers must have realized it, for both roared out what could only be a final command:

“Blizzard!”

“Hammer Arm!”

Swampert’s arm slammed through the harsh blizzard, and the two Pokemon flew violently away from each other. Swampert stood, heaving as it breathed, its large hind legs shaking. Avalugg struggled to stay up, but ended up losing that battle.

“RUBY!”

Lisia blasted down the stairs, throwing her cheer puffs behind her. I followed, picking up the lost puffs and slowly slipping down the stairs. The blue-haired girl wrapped her arms around Ruby, and he turned to her, a toothy grin on his face. I looked from them, to Wulfric, who walked towards Ruby with a grace I would not have expected from the gruff man. He smiled ever so slightly at the sight of Ruby and Lisia, before noting me.

“Your friend is an impressive battler,” he said to me.

“I know.”

For some reason, those words came out in a sigh, which surprised me. I was happy for Ruby because he won! Right? Wulfric seemed slightly taken aback by that as well, but recovered quickly before adding, “It will take someone just as impressive to catch his eye, I’m sure.”

“What—” But before I could ask Wulfric to clarify his meaning, he turned to Ruby and Lisia and held out something in his outstretched palm.

“The Iceberg Badge, Rubeus. You battled well today,” he grunted.

Ruby considered the badge before shouting, “Yes! I won the Iceberg Badge!”

Lisia jumped back at his shout, slipping on the ice a moment before regaining balance, and the comical sight of it all finally caused me to laugh and to smile.

“That’s seven badges, Ruby,” I said. “You’re almost to the Kalos League!”

He smiled at my words, grabbing my hands in his. “Now it’s your turn to make it closer to your dream, Hoshiko.”

My dream… my eyes met his, and for a moment, it felt like there was no one else in the room around us. Until Lisia started shouting.

“What about me, Ruby!?” she whined, grabbing onto his arm.

He chuckled, adding, “Well, it depends on how the TriPokalon goes, doesn’t it?”

“You girls are in the TriPokalon, eh?” Wulfric asked us. We both nodded, to which he replied, “Hah! I’d love to see how well Rubeus’ traveling partners perform. I’ll come watch.”

If the pressure wasn’t on before, it sure was on now: Wulfric would be expecting us to be just as capable as Ruby! I could do that… right?

Lisia giggled. “You’ll be amazed for sure! My name isn’t Lisia Atalan, Contest Spectacular Idol, for nothing!”

“My, that’s a long name you have,” Wulfric said.

I tried to keep it in, but Ruby and I caught each other’s eyes and burst out laughing at that. As soon as I managed to calm down, I met Lisia’s gaze, which shared the same fire that I’m sure mine had. Each of us had to win this TriPokalon! For our next Princess Key, and to show Wulfric and Ruby what we’re made of!


	14. Shadow of Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star must confront her shadows.

**_Shadow of Disaster_ ** _  
August_

The day after Ruby’s gym battle – the day before the TriPokalon – passed too quickly. My Pokemon and I practiced and practiced throughout the day, going into the night, but I wondered if it would all be enough—

“Welcome to the Snowbelle City TriPokalon!”

Pierre’s enthusiastic announcement snapped me out of all my thoughts. It was much too late for any of that, anyway, as the moment had arrived: it was time for the TriPokalon!

“I am excited to be hosting this competition from my very own hometown,” Pierre added. “Where the passion of trainers and performers burns hot to keep out the cold, there is no more perfect place for a competition than Snowbelle City!”

Pierre’s outfit differed slightly from his usual, probably due to the extreme cold. In addition to the sub-freezing temperatures outside, the venue must have had the AC turned up to max! Instead of his normal luminous trench coat, Pierre wore one made of wool with faux fur trim that shimmered and sparkled in the stage lights.

I too needed a slight outfit modification, so over the top of my light blue dress I wore the knee-length navy coat Lisia gave me yesterday. I also managed to find boots I liked at the local boutique in a gorgeous slate gray color. Next to me, Lisia wore her pink coat and white boots instead of her normal competition outfit.

Blocks of ice lay out in front of us, tall, pristine sculptures glistening under the harshness of the stage lights.

“To start us off…” Pierre began, motioning towards the ice pillars. “… we will have an ice carving contest! In groups of three, our contestants will make their way to the stage and create the closest approximation to whatever the category is.”

“Wh—wha!?” I squeaked, but next to me Lisia started bobbing up and down enthusiastically.

“This… this is so exciting, Hoshi!” the girl chirped.

“Have you done anything like this before?”

“Nope!”

I sighed in frustration, both at the daunting task at hand and at Lisia’s innocent response. Her cheery naivety was truly boundless.

“Up first, let’s have contestants 1, 2, and 3!”

I pulled my pinned on number closer to my vision to see a 12 blaring back at me.

“Ooh! I’m number 1!” Lisia chirped.

“What? But we registered at the same time…” I mumbled. But apparently that didn’t matter at all. Oh well.

Lisia bounded out of sight, and I fixed my vision on the TV screen playing the on-stage feed.

“For the first group, you will be making…” Pierre paused for effect, then pointed his staff towards the large screen behind them where a familiar Pokemon appeared. “… a Klefki sculpture!”

“Kleffy!” Pierre’s Klefki exclaimed, seeming proud to be featured in this competition.

“Klefki will choose the winner of this round,” the blond added.

“What!?” I felt myself snap. Several other performers looked over at me, and I felt a blush creep up my face. “I mean,” I muttered, restraining my voice, “who ever heard of a Pokemon judging a competition?”

No one answered my question. So did that mean that no one had ever heard of such a thing?

Lisia let loose both her Pokemon, and the trio set to work carving. Without fire, it seemed to be a challenge, but the team persevered and made something that really did look kind of like a Klefki! The camera panned around the stage, taking in each contestant’s sculpture… and damn, Lisia had some competition. The three ladies on stage panted, out of breath, their Pokemon trying not to lose hands and paws to the cold.

Klefki floated around, spinning and dancing in midair. Well, at least someone seemed to be having a good time.

“And, time’s up!” Pierre announced, turning to face the contestants. “Klefki, time to make a decision!”

“Klef,” it replied, spinning around the stage, pausing a moment at each one. Finally, it made its way towards Lisia’s submission, and landed on top of it with a triumphant, “Klef-kii!”

“The winner of this round is contestant number 1!” Pierre exclaimed. Lisia’s contestant button with a big bold 1 shimmered in the stage lights, and the blue-head jumped up and down, her ruffles ruffling.

“We did it!” she yelled, and Ali and Mari echoed her sentiments.

The three of them returned to the backstage in a flutter of fluff and activity. We chatted for a bit, Lisia giving me advice that I hadn’t asked for (but appreciated, I guess), and before I knew it, it was my turn to take the stage.

“Now, contestants 10, 11, and 12!”

“Go get ‘em!” Lisia cheered, pushing me towards the stage. Thanks for the encouragement, I guess…

I took a look around the stage, and two girls who I’d never seen before stood beside me. Both of them seemed worried, one of them staring off into the distance, the other considering the blocks of ice around us.

“The competition for this round…” Pierre paused for effect, pulling a Pokeball from his belt, “You will create your sculptures into my fourth and final Pokemon!”

The other rounds had been two of his own Pokemon – I remembered him mentioning to me once that he’d left all of his Pokemon except for Klefki at home, so this was probably their one opportunity to spend time together while Pierre was on the road. Something about that felt sad, but I ignored that feeling as I forced myself back into reality.

“Come out, Absol!”

I froze, and somehow it wasn’t from the cold around us. My mind flashed back completely unbidden to that battle I had when I was 10 years old, Amaura versus against a bully’s Absol. Hadn’t it been four years since that day? So why did even just the mention of the disaster Pokemon cause me to freak out?

Time slowed. I must have picked a couple Pokeballs from my belt, as I’d intended Breloom and Torkoal for this round, but I could barely focus. Absol… that Pokemon who signified disasters… that battle where Amaura lost control for the first time… I hadn’t realized that the memory still affected me, but it all came back right then.

“Tor?” Torkoal asked, completely confused. My opponents had already started, but I hadn’t even said a word. I shook my head to clear it, turning to the block of ice to my side.

“Breloom, use Sky Uppercut!”

Nothing happened.

“Torkoal, tor!” Torkoal called, drawing my eyes to it. Wait a minute… that wasn’t Breloom next to Torkoal! I must have been more distracted than I thought, as standing next to Torkoal was a shivering Amaura.

There was no way an ice type like Amaura was shivering from the cold.

“Ack!” I gulped. This was already going significantly worse than I thought it could. But, there was a move I’d taught Amaura right after that day, wasn’t there? A move I could use now…

“Calm Mind, Amaura!” I commanded. The Pokemon reluctantly closed its eyes, and allowed its scales to drain of color. Without a Pokemon who could sculpt the ice, I would need to come up with another strategy.

“Torkoal, use Fire Spin!”

The tortoise Pokemon shot its flames directly at the icy column in front of us, melting it much more quickly than I wanted.

“Wait! Stop!”

Torkoal turned its orange neck back towards me, frowning. Great, now Torkoal was starting to doubt itself, too…

“No, you’re fine,” I clarified. “We just need to figure out a more delicate way to do this…”

I could see Pierre out of the corner of my eye, and the man looked deeply concerned. I’d probably never been this frazzled during a competition, and he must have realized that.

“Amaura, use Ancient Power in the shape of an X, now!”

The fossil Pokemon launched its attack from either side of the ice, smoothing it on either side. There, now we had something going!

“Now, Frost Breath at the top left corner! Create a blade like Absol’s!”

Amaura shuddered, but did what I asked, forming new ice where the old ice had melted away.

“Now, Torkoal, can you make just a little ember at the top middle?”

The fire Pokemon obliged, melting only part of where Absol’s face would be, creating its fringe of white fur. Amaura meanwhile shot ice at where Absol’s tail would be, and that appendage came into being. Pierre’s Absol had wandered its way over to our part of the stage then, and nodded in approval. Amaura nearly shrunk into itself, but managed to avoid attacking or retreating completely.

“It… it’s okay, Amaura! We’re fine!” I managed, though I felt myself shudder as the disaster Pokemon seemed to size me up. Amaura must have caught my nervousness, for it didn’t seem convinced by my words.

Absol started its walk back to its partner’s side, and it came a little too close to where Amaura, Torkoal, and I stood. Startled, the fossil Pokemon jumped slightly, and its scales lit up crimson. The disaster Pokemon grunted and walked away, almost seeming concerned with the reactions it received from my side of the field. Would that affect how we would be judged? I couldn’t lose this round just because of some old fear!

“Time to add your finishing touches!” Pierre announced, and my heart nearly pounded straight out of my chest.

I took in the sight of our sculpture. It almost looked just like the Pokemon that stood before us, except the facial expression didn’t seem quite right. Right now, the statue glared out into the crowd, its eyes filled with hate... but the Absol that stood in front of us wasn’t the same one from four years ago. Pierre’s Absol had a soft demeanor, a pensiveness in its eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. How could I transform those eyes into something different? 

“It—It isn’t right! I don’t know what we can do!”

Torkoal glanced confusedly between me and Amaura, the fossil Pokemon with its eyes cast firmly towards the ground.

“I’m so sorry…” I murmured, everything welling up into my chest and into my eyes. “I tried to put my feelings on the past behind me… but it looks like I wasn’t able to do it, not even for us. I’m really, really sorry…”

Torkoal shook its head vigorously, as if to dispel the thought. The two Pokemon conversed with one another, Torkoal seeming to encourage Amaura on something. Suddenly, a light shone in Amaura’s eyes, as the fossil Pokemon turned towards the statue with a renewed bravery. It released a couple glowing stars from its—wait, what?! Was this a new move? The stars nicked a couple of dents into the statue’s eyes, softening its glance into one more loving. Absol made its way towards us, its normally unexpressive mouth lifting into what looked like a small smile. This time, the fossil Pokemon managed a smile of its own in return.

“And, stop!” Pierre announced, and all of the action around me suddenly ceased.

I took a look around the stage to find that my competition had created such stunning works themselves. However, as if no other existed on stage, Absol walked towards us, glance unwavering. The disaster Pokemon stopped in front of me, bowing its head. Was that its decision?

Pierre’s face lit up into a grin, as he interpreted, “Absol has chosen a winner! Congratulations to contestant number 12!” When nobody onstage reacted, Pierre added, "Hoshiko Gateaux!"

All of my apprehension and fear melted away at his words, and I reached out to pat the disaster Pokemon on its head. The fur underneath my fingers was silk-soft, and the Pokemon purred quietly at the contact. After recalling my Pokemon, I slipped to the backstage and both Ruby and Lisia ran up to me, the latter grabbing me into a hug.

"That was amazing, Hoshi!" she chirped. "That move Amaura used - it looked like Swift, but I checked the Pokedex and it _had_ to be Nature Power! I didn't even realize that Amaura knew that move!"

Well, that makes two of us. But before I could respond, Pierre's voice rang throughout the backstage sound system.

“Congratulations to our finalists!” Something about his intense eye contact, his smile, and I felt my cheeks heat up. With one hand pressing onto his earpiece, as if he were struggling to hear the words being spoken through it, he finally recited the names: “Lisia Atalán, Aya Berrybaker, Hoshiko Gateaux, and Margaux LaRousse!”

I saw out of the corner of my eye the two other girls stand up, and the four of us created a passionate heat so intense I almost bolted from the room. Thankfully, Pierre spoke up again:

“After a ten minute intermission, get ready to witness the heated passion of Snowbelle City’s best performers! The theme for this performance will be Heat of Battle!”

Heat of Battle, huh… I knew who I’d be picking for this part of the performance immediately. Lisia giggled suddenly, breaking the silence I hadn’t even realized existed.

“Man, this really is intense! How many keys do you have?”

The young purple-haired girl – Aya Berrybaker – spoke up first. “I have two.”

“Same,” the other girl – Margaux – added.

“Wow! So we’re all competing for our third keys, then,” Lisia observed, tapping a finger to her chin. “No wonder it’s so intense back here!”

Both Margaux and Aya bit their lips, unable to respond to what I knew was Lisia’s innocent observation. The other two girls suddenly and simultaneously both needed to start preparing for their appeal round, and each went into a dressing room. The blue-head smiled and nodded, as if nothing strange had happened, then turned to me. “Hoshi, we’re less than a month from the Master Class and things are really getting intense, aren’t they?”

I nodded mutely.

“I’m so glad to have you by my side during this. And you too, Ruby, of course,” she added, turning to face the boy.

“We’d better get ready,” I snapped. The pair turned to me, confusion all over their faces. “It’s five minutes ‘til showtime,” I added gently, realizing my tone had grown harsh out of nowhere. I grabbed my change of clothes and headed into the dressing room, leaving my two traveling companions alone. I could hear them muttering about something or other, but did my best to pay them no mind as I focused on what I wanted for my appeal…

\--

“Aaand we’re back!” Pierre announced, Klefki echoing his announcement with various pitches of “Klef!” and “Ki!” The keychain Pokemon had added a Princess Key to its chain at some point during the break, and the blue gem in its center glittered gloriously in the stage lights. “We’re going in backwards order of how the performers went last round – so if I could have Mademoiselle Hoshiko up on stage!”

I walked out on stage, almost freezing in place. Not from the crowd, mind you, which didn’t faze me in the slightest, but from the intense cold. Maybe an outfit change hadn’t been my best idea, but I wanted to embrace the theme as best as I could.

“Wow!” Pierre exclaimed, taking in my outfit for a moment too long before continuing. “In the last round, you were wearing ice-blue, _non_? And now, you’re heating it up with a passionate red!”

And I felt myself heating up with a passionate red, as well. Geez, did he have to be so… however about it?! But I’d changed into my red, strapless dress, tied up my dark hair with a saffron-colored ribbon, and my orange tights to continue the flame motif, as well as for some additional warmth. Some additional warmth that apparently barely mattered in the freezing arena. But I felt thankful, all of a sudden, that Pierre had not only realized my intent but also broadcast it for the entire audience to hear.

“You got it!” I found myself shouting. “Now let me share that passion with all of Snowbelle City!”

The crowd roared, and suddenly, the thought that I might win my third Princess Key right here consumed me. I barely remember sending out my Pokemon, the three I’d chosen landing beside me. I started a _chaines_ step, still the only dance move I knew, and my bipedal partner danced along with me. Both quadrupeds, having made it to their positions, looked on, waiting for their cue.

“Torkoal, Fire Spin! Amaura, Ancient Power!”

The two attacks met in the center of our little circle, a column of stone surrounded and strengthened by a burning flame. Torkoal stood beyond the crowd’s view, behind the column, Amaura directly across from it. Breloom and I stopped directly across from each other – Breloom stage left, myself stage right – facing the column almost reverently. “Mach Punch!”

The mushroom Pokemon jumped into the flames without hesitating, which garnered some shocked responses from the crowd. Everyone with their type matchups, blah blah blah, they were missing out on some amazing art! I pushed off with my right foot, running into the center. Breathless, I gave my next command before jumping into the fray:

“Leech Seed!” Breloom released seeds from its mouth, aimed high towards where part of the sculpture had been. The seeds sprouted life-sapping tendrils, which surrounded the loose pieces of rock flying around the stage. Torkoal let up its Fire Spin for just a second – probably remembering what had happened in a previous performance when I tried to brave its flames – and Breloom and I met in the center before passing on to either side of the column.

“Amaura, use Frost Breath and freeze everything together!”

Amaura let forth its icy breath, and the column that Breloom had broken apart once again became one. I could hear the crowd gasp, feel the excitement and wonder growing in the packed stadium. I knew I had to think of a breathtaking finisher to keep the bubble of excitement from bursting altogether, and in order to give myself that chance I had everyone start making their way to the center of the field, as gracefully as each could.

“Now, Torkoal, Fire Spin around us! Breloom, spin and use Bullet Seed! And Amaura, Nature Power!”

The three attacks combined all around us, Fire Spin and Bullet Seed combining to create a vortex that pushed Nature Power's glowing stars upwards as well. The heat, the cool, the bright lights caused me to fade in and out all of a sudden, and I realized too late that my Pokemon were taking damage from all three attacks at once. In my periphery, I caught Breloom heaving breaths, Torkoal shivering on shaky legs, and Amaura’s scales glowing a muted purple, droplets beading down its body. But based on the roar from around us, it must have looked beautiful. Proud of our work, I realized that I needed to wrap it up soon otherwise—

“And, finish—”

But before I could get the whole word out, a cry sounded from right beside me. Amaura’s legs gave out, scales discolored, its eyes dazed from the spiral of the attack and the heat from Torkoal’s fire. I could only stare on in silence for that moment, until I realized it. 

_Calm Mind_ , I thought, panicking. We should have used Calm Mind… we always use Calm Mind… but caught up in the moment, surrounded by the approval from the crowd and from Pierre and consumed by thoughts of victory and flames of passion, I’d completely forgotten.

I’d never before heard the sound of hundreds of silent people at once. It was deafening.

\--

I could barely process what happened next.

I wasn’t able to move from backstage, my eyes glazed over as I considered the three other finalists. But in the end, Lisia won the competition, her Ali and Mari combining electricity and glow to heat up the stadium and the crowd. The camera captured Lisia and Pierre shaking hands, Ruby running up on stage to congratulate the girl, and with that I finally found the energy to turn away from the screen.

“Breloom breh.”

I looked over to see Breloom and Torkoal, staring straight at me. They hadn’t moved much either.

“I’m disappointed,” I said aloud. The two Pokemon balked slightly, and I realized my mistake. “Not in you! Never in you. In myself.”

“Breh, breloom!” Breloom exclaimed, almost sounding scandalized. “Loom, breh breh!” I imagined it was saying something like, _it’s not your fault!_

Torkoal seemingly nodded at whatever Breloom had said, its long, orange neck bobbing slowly.

“It is my fault,” I managed to say, hoping I’d interpreted their words correctly. “I’m your trainer, I should know your limits.”

Neither of them had anything to say to that. Perhaps they agreed with me.

I recalled the two of them and headed over to the Pokemon Center. I realized belatedly that I hadn’t waited for Ruby or Lisia, but I didn’t much care at that point. They seemed caught up in celebrating and I didn’t want to be a part of that. 

I didn’t deserve to celebrate, even if it was for someone else.

Grabbing my navy full-length coat from my room and swinging it over both arms, I headed off. Just for a walk, to clear my head. It had been over an hour since the end of the TriPokalon and nothing from Lisia or Ruby, or Pierre for that matter. 

The snow receded and the trees grew thicker until I could hardly see around me. I wondered absently how there could be a forest right next to a town plagued by snow even in the summer, but that thought wasn’t interesting enough to distract me from everything else.

I walked.

And walked.

And stopped.

“Where am I?”

No answer, not even the rustle of trees or the scurry of feet. The darkness closed in, the trees becoming too thick for light. As I turned around and around, trying to make sense of my situation, my legs trembled and gave out below me.

“Ah…”

The silence of the stadium had followed me here, it seemed. And, the darkness… I consulted my HoloCaster, which despite having no signal still kept track of the time. The device read 7:26pm. How could it possibly be so dark so early in the evening?

I reached for Torkoal’s Pokeball for some extra light and heat, but my hand met with my empty belt.

“Wait—” I gulped, frantically feeling around my belt. Right, I’d left my Pokemon to be healed at the Pokemon Center and hadn’t picked them up…!

As if feeling my nervousness, the one Pokeball I did have on my belt shook and out came a familiar pink face.

“Sprit~” Spritzee sang, floating around me.

Right, I hadn’t used Spritzee at all during the competition, so I still had it with me. Though it couldn’t light up the darkness, at least I had someone to talk to…

“Spritzee, I think I’m lost.”

“Sprit?”

“Do you know a way out of here?”

The fairy Pokemon seemed to think a moment, but quickly started flying around in figure eights over my head. Okay, not very productive.

“Spritzee, what’re you—”

“Zeeeee!”

And suddenly, a pink flash zipped right by me. Spritzee must have found something, as it continued further into the thicket.

“Spritzee, wait!” I gasped, struggling to my feet and following the overly enthusiastic Pokemon.

“Spree!” it replied, hardly slowing down.

I followed the fairy Pokemon further into the woods. The trees closed in on us, and though I felt fear, focusing so closely on something kept that at bay. Finally, somehow, the trees cleared and beyond that—

“Sprit…zee!” the pink Pokemon chirped, performing a backflip.

At first, I didn’t get it. Clearly we weren’t in the woods anymore, but also… where was Snowbelle City? This couldn’t be right. A lush clearing lay before me, a creek running straight through. I could hear the murmurs of Pokemon, but see none were out, almost as if they were hiding in the shadows.

I checked my HoloCaster again for the time. 8:01pm. I wondered absently if Ruby or Lisia had noticed that I’d gone. Would they look for me? Or would they turn in for the night and expect that I return?

The sun had disappeared into the shadows, and the area was alight solely by the twinkling stars and moon above. Somehow, I was able to see clearly despite the lack of artificial light. As the night grew darker, and as my presence became accepted by the wild Pokemon in the meadow, I could see some moving about. A flock of owl Pokemon circled above, hooting to one another. Near the stream, a group of Lombre and some other water type Pokemon splashed about and chased each other. Under a tent-covered stage like area, Jigglypuff sang to one another, comparing their lullabies.

“Spritzee… what is this place?” I asked the perfume Pokemon.

The pink Pokemon seemed to smile knowingly, as if it’d known this place was here all along. Perhaps it was Pokemon instinct to seek out this place. It wasn’t Snowbelle City, but the place seemed peaceful, so perhaps I could rest here for the night and try to figure out how to get back in the morning. I stepped into the meadow, and all the activity ground to a halt. Pokemon considered me suspiciously, and I froze under the scrutiny of all those eyes.

“I—” I began, hoping to explain myself, but the Pokemon all scurried away before I could get out another word.

Sighing, I made my way further into the meadow. At this point, it didn’t much matter what I did, as all the Pokemon were scared already. Under the canopy area where the Jigglypuff had been singing earlier, I lay down, Spritzee resting into the crook of my body. After everything that had happened today… I felt myself drift off before I could even finish that thought.

\--

I awoke to a crashing noise.

It sounded like something fell over right next to me, and I startled awake. Spritzee still lay next to me, snoozing away. Had it been a dream?

I heard another sound, which definitely wasn’t my imagination.

“Who… who’s there?”

I hadn’t meant for it to come out so meek, but my voice caught in my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, movement—

I snapped around, trying to catch whatever was moving around me, but it didn’t stay still for long enough. 

“C-come out! I d-don’t mean any harm!”

Cackling brushed my ears, and not just one cackle. Many cackles around me, surrounding me with that horrible noise, I must be having some kind of nightmare—

Suddenly, several – maybe around 10 – ghost Pokemon appeared in front of me. … Banette! Why did they surround me all of a sudden? Perhaps it was because the Pokemon here weren’t used to humans and they wanted me out?

“I-I’m sorry, I just got lost and I…”

“Bah!”

Each of the Banette readied an attack, one I’d never seen before, but it looked dark, so pitch black that it was even darker than the night around us.

“Sp-Spritzee!”

The perfume Pokemon didn’t respond, somehow sleeping through all of the noise.

Finally, the Banette released their attack, and I felt myself freeze in place. I knew I needed to run, to jump, to do something that would get me out of the direct trajectory of their attacks…!

“ZO!”

Something tackled me, knocking me out of the way of the attack. When I opened my eyes, a small, black blob with piercing cyan eyes stared back, standing on my chest. I smiled at the small creature, which had surely just saved my life, and it almost seemed to smile in return. Suddenly, then, voices—

“Mari, use Charge to light up the area!”

“Get ‘em all with Leaf Storm, Tropius!”

The black Pokemon jumped off of me, and I scrambled to my feet. Mari and Tropius? Why, that had to be…!

“Are you all right?” a gruff voice growled. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder, and realized that it could only be Wulfric.

“I’m okay!” I squeaked, drawing myself closer to his protective embrace.

Finally, Spritzee had woken up and the perfume Pokemon seemed furious. It floated directly in the moonlight that streamed through so clearly and began to glow with its power. The fae Pokemon unleashed its attack at the ghosts, which had been severely weakened by Tropius’ Leaf Storm. Then, perhaps it was a trick of the light, but instead of ghosts there were—

“Zoroark!” Wulfric snapped. “How dare you play a trick on this young lady!”

The Pokemon, now clearly not ghosts, cowered away from the man’s anger. Their crimson fur shone in the moonlight, and their bright blue eyes cast down in shame.

“It was just to protect their pack,” Lisia murmured, holding her Pokedex in her hand. “The Pokedex says that Zoroark play tricks and cast illusions in order to protect themselves.”

Despite immediately recognizing their voices and Pokemon, I hadn’t wanted to see them. I finally looked at Lisia, who seemed to be looking anywhere but at me. I glanced slightly more to the left at Ruby, who had his arms folded tightly across his chest, eyes cast the opposite direction from where I stood.

“I know that, child,” Wulfric replied, the anger in his voice tempering. “But these Zoroark know better than to trick someone who isn’t hurting them.” A pause. And then, “Ah, Zoe, what are you doing here?”

“Zoe?” I asked.

“The Pokemon that’s right next to you,” Wulfric replied. “Her name is Zoe.”

I looked down and sure enough, the Pokemon that tackled me stood right next to me. Now that I had a chance to look at it – her – I noticed a lot of similarity between her and the other Pokemon who had tricked me. Lisia pointed her device at the Pokemon, and it read out: “Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokemon and pre-evolved form of Zoroark. To protect themselves from danger, they hide their true identities by transforming into people and Pokemon.”

“Zoe is an interesting case,” Wulfric said. “I’ve never seen her use her Illusion ability to trick others.”

“Never?” Lisia asked. “But isn’t that the defining trait of Zorua and Zoroark?”

Wulfric nodded. “Zorua and its evolved form are naturally tricky Pokemon. They enjoy playing pranks on others and playing with the minds of their enemies.” The man paused, letting that sink in a moment. “Zoe has never been like that. She would always be by the side while the rest of her friends practiced transforming.”

“Maybe she can’t—” Ruby began, but Wulfric cut him off.

“I’ve seen her do it,” Wulfric explained, “but never in a fight or against an intruder.”

“She saved me,” I finally said.

Wulfric stared a moment, then cracked a small smile. “She saw the goodness in you and didn’t want you to get hurt by the others.”

I turned to the fox Pokemon, and sat down on the ground to be at her level. “Is that right, Zoe? You saw goodness in me?”

The black fox turned away, bashful almost, muttering, “Zo…”

“I—” I began, but then suddenly the images of earlier in the day returned unbidden – the TriPokalon, Amaura’s clear distress, the fossil Pokemon passing out on stage, the guilt in Breloom’s and Torkoal’s eyes at the fact that we’d lost… “I’m not good, not at all.”

A pause. Then, “That’s not true, Hoshiko.”

The softness of Ruby’s voice startled me somehow. “What?”

“Is that what you were worried about? Is that why you ran away?” Ruby continued, ignoring my question.

“I didn’t—” I prepared to contest that accusation, but then I realized, I _had_ run away. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You could’ve come to us if you were upset, Hoshi,” Lisia said.

“You… you had just won the TriPokalon and gotten your third Princess Key. I thought you would have wanted to celebrate qualifying for the Master Class. And I thought that Ruby would want to go with you…”

“It wouldn’t be a celebration without you, Hoshi,” Lisia murmured, her blue bangs obscuring her eyes.

“We’re in this together, Hoshiko,” Ruby added, unfolding his arms and letting them rest at his sides. “Yes, I was happy about Lisia’s victory, as was she, of course, but we were both sad that you had to lose for her to win.”

“Don’t be sad,” I mumbled, feeling tears tugging at my eyes. “Don’t feel that way at my expense, at my mistake—”

Out of nowhere, I felt two pairs of arms envelope me, and two comforting, familiar scents surround me.

“You guys…” I choked, finally letting tears fall.

“It’s okay, Hoshi,” Lisia spoke. “Cry all you want.”

So I did.

\--

“Thanks for guiding us through that maze of a forest, Wulfric,” Ruby said as we finally made our way back to Snowbelle City.

“I know the Pokemon Village well,” the man replied. “After all, someone’s gotta take care of those Pokemon.”

“I’m just glad Hoshi was there after all that!” Lisia exclaimed.

The three of them shared a laugh, and even though I didn’t feel like I was in on it, I managed a smile myself. Wulfric turned to face me, then focused on something behind me, frowning. “Zoe, what are you doing outside of the Village?”

I turned around to see the little fox Pokemon. In the light of the city, I also saw her red markings, on her tuft of fur at the top of her head like a flame and at the caps of her feet like socks.

“Zo, zo!” she barked, motioning towards me.

“Hmm! Well,” Wulfric began, shifting his focus to me. “I think our little Zoe wants to go with you, Hoshiko!”

“Wh-what?” I asked. Then, I turned to the fox. “But you don’t even know me…”

“Zoru!” she replied, smiling.

“Zoe has never fit in with the rest of the Pokemon,” Wulfric explained. “Since she doesn’t like to cause trouble, like the rest of her species does, she’s always felt left out. I think that when she met you, she realized that you’d be a good person to go with.”

“Is that so?” I asked the little one. She chirped and nodded in reply. “You’d like to go with me?”

She hesitated slightly, and looked expectantly back at me, digging one paw through the dirt.

“You want to battle?”

“Zo!”

“All right then… Spritzee, let’s give it our all!”

The fairy Pokemon launched itself off of Ruby’s head and performed a flip right in front of me. “Use Fairy Wind!”

Spritzee let loose its sparkling breath, and Zoe dodged it easily. With a midair flip of her own, Zoe charged towards Spritzee, disappearing and reappearing right in front of her.

“Feint Attack!” Lisia gasped.

Spritzee seemed stunned but hardly bothered by the attack. It probably had something to do with type matchups.

“Echoed Voice!”

Spritzee opened its mouth to attack, and then—nothing.

“Wha—”

Zoe took that chance to score another hit on Spritzee, and the perfume Pokemon tumbled backwards.

“Uh, well…”

And then I realized, when we were back in the woods, Spritzee had done something after basking in moonlight… was that a new move?

“Use the move you used before! That moon thing—”

“Moonblast!” Lisia supplied, and Spritzee moved into position. So it _was_ a new move!

Glowing with mystical light, Spritzee unleashed its attack onto Zoe, who wasn’t able to prepare for the impact. She crashed to the ground, and struggled to stand.

“Pokeball, go!” I shouted, tossing the sphere before she could stand again. The ball shook on the ground, attempting to contain the fox Pokemon. Once, twice, ping!

“Gotcha! Zoe, welcome to the team!” I exclaimed, posing triumphantly with the Pokeball outstretched in front of me. Spritzee landed on my head, chirping enthusiastically as well.

Attaching the new Pokeball to my belt, I headed back to the Snowbelle Pokemon Center with Ruby and Lisia. After saying good-bye to Wulfric and finally getting some rest for the night, I awoke refreshed and ready to take on the next TriPokalon.


	15. Child of the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star will have this dance.

**_Child of the Stars_ ** _  
August_

“You’re up early, Hoshiko!”

Despite my attempt to keep that morning’s activities on the down low, Ruby found me lifting weights in the gym the morning following our adventure in Pokemon Village. I’d already done my push-ups, crunches, and pull-ups, so perhaps I could take a break and chat.

“I’m motivated! I gotta get my third Princess Key!” I exclaimed.

Ruby smiled, seeming excited somehow by my enthusiasm. “That’s right!” He paused a moment, sobering slightly. “Oh, right, Lisia wanted me to find you to let you know that Pierre will be making an announcement in a couple hours. It might be the location of the next TriPokalon…”

“Great!” I felt myself brimming with energy, and put the weights back on the shelf. “Let’s have breakfast and get ready for this announcement, then!”

Just about two hours later, coffee in one hand, sausage and biscuit sandwich (with ketchup, which apparently disgusted Ruby but intrigued Lisia) in the other, I plopped myself between my two companions on one of the couches in the main lobby of our hotel. “Is Pierre on yet?” I asked.

“Almost, right after this commercial break!” Lisia squealed. I wasn’t sure what she was so excited about, considering she had her three Princess Keys. Did she know something that I didn’t? The commercial, something about a brand new HoloCaster update ended, and Pierre’s face appeared on screen.

“Bonjour!” he exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. The camera panned out a bit, revealing that next to Pierre stood a red-headed girl. “The news you all have been waiting for: Pokemon Performers, future Kalos Queens, you have been invited to a dance party on this Saturday the 13th! If you are interested in being part of this event, text the number on your screen to receive directions. Mademoiselle Aria and I hope to see you there! Au revoir!”

“That’s it!?” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest. “What about the next TriPokalon? I need my third Princess Key—”

“Oh, don’t be a stick in the mud!” Lisia chirped. “I want to go. I texted that number already! Let’s see, how many participants… Three!”

“Three?” Ruby asked, realizing suddenly that he’d been included in this.

“Yep! After all, the girls need dance partners, right?” Lisia said. “And that includes me! So will you be my partner at the dance?”

“Partner…” I muttered, glaring at the floor. If Lisia took Ruby, then who was I supposed to take? Then I realized… _why did I even care about this at all?_

“Change the reservation. I want no part of this,” I commanded.

Lisia pouted. “Aww, why? Well, it’s too late anyway,” she replied, shrugging. “I can’t go back on the reservation.”

“What!?” I snapped. “Well, then, I’ll just text Pierre and tell him to take me off that list.”

“Noooooo!” Lisia whined, but I’d done it already. I received a response almost immediately, then another:

 _Mon Astrette, I would be sorely disappointed not to see you there_ , the first message said. Then, the second, _Though my time will be occupied by Mademoiselle Aria, I’ll be sure to save a dance for you_.

Great. Of course that didn’t work.

“You’re all red, Hoshi,” Lisia said, feigning concern.

“This was a horrible idea,” I muttered, closing the HoloCaster before Lisia could read what Pierre had written. Of course, how had I forgotten – the boy was interested in me, or something. “Can’t we just go to Ruby’s next gym battle—?”

Lisia started up talking again right in the middle of my sentence, drowning out my pleas with her chirpy voice. “Well, the dance party is two days away, so we’d better get going now! C’mon Hoshi, Ruby!”

“The dance party is on the way to Anistar City, anyway,” Ruby sighed, defeated.

Despite the words on my tongue, I felt no need to respond. Once Lisia had decided on something and Ruby gone along with, there was no going back.

\--

“We’re here~!” Lisia chirped, holding her arms out as if to hug the dance hall.

I took a look around, but not without an exasperated sigh first. The hall seemed oddly extravagant for a bunch of teenagers having a dance party: a chandelier dangled from the ceiling, sparkling under dazzling light; ball gowns hung from wall to wall in the dressing room; and young men roamed in dress shirts and bow ties with trays in hand.

“This is ridiculous,” I said. I caught Ruby’s eye, and saw him nod slightly.

“This is GREAT!” Lisia exclaimed, not seeming to catch either Ruby’s reaction or mine. “Look at all these dresses! Come on, Hoshi!” The girl grabbed my hand, and somehow managed to drag me into the dressing room.

Each of the dresses was organized by color, starting with red to my right and ending with black to my left. Girls, some very familiar from other TriPokalon, chattered and swept across the room, checking out different dresses.

“How much do these things weigh?”

“Oh, lighten up, Hoshi!”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to in fifty pounds of fabric…” I muttered, but said no more. Lisia already had a blue-green dress not dissimilar to her hair color in her hands, and she raced across the room to try it on. As I drew my eyes across the room, following the girl, I happened to notice someone coming out of one of the rooms in a beautiful, blue, floor-length gown.

My heart racing, I took off at a sprint without thinking.

“MIETTE!”

Said girl in the blue gown jumped, clearly startled, but broke out into a grin. “Hosh! I didn’t know you’d be here!”

“Neither did I,” I mumbled, sighing. Miette hadn’t heard me, and cocked her head in response, but she didn’t need to know how unenthused I was at being here. Realizing I wouldn’t clarify, she instead reached into her purse and pulled out a key ring, which glistened with the light of three silver keys.

“I did it, Hosh! I qualified for the Master Class!”

Overcome with excitement for the girl, I grabbed her into a huge hug. “That’s amazing, Miette! Congratulations!”

She smiled, but the smile changed into a grimace and the girl crossed her arms over her chest. She finally spoke, “I’d like to join you again, if you don’t mind. Traveling by myself has been, well, lonely. And we won’t be in competition anymore, until the Master Class anyway, since I’ve got my third key, so…”

“Of course I approve!”

Miette grinned in full now, seeming lighter than before. “Are you still traveling with Ruby and uh, that other girl?” Miette inquired.

“Lisia,” I supplied. “Yes, I am. They’re here somewhere—”

“Thanks for the perfect segue!” Miette interjected, that mocking grin on her face. This couldn’t be good… “So now, I gotta know, are you here with Ruby?”

“I already said that Ruby’s here…” I replied hesitantly, but had a feeling that wasn’t quite what she meant.

“As your date, I mean,” she clarified.

“I, um…” My chest tightened, and I clenched a fist in front of it without realizing. “No.”

“No!?” she snapped, seeming either shocked or disappointed, or perhaps both. “He’s here but you’re not going with him? What gives? He didn’t say no to you, did he—”

“No, no, nothing like that!” I yelled, cutting her off. Why was she getting so fired up about this? “Lisia just asked first.”

Miette calmed, her tone as sober now as her face. “Oh, that makes sense. Then who are you here with?”

“Nobody.”

“Nobody!?” Miette echoed, and everyone around us stopped to stare at the girl. Flushing, she continued in a harsh whisper, “You can’t be a part of the festivities without a date! What about Pierre—”

“He’s with Aria,” I supplied, remembering the redhead from the broadcast we’d seen before coming here.

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed, shaking her head. Then, her eyes lit up, and I knew it was time to be scared. “Well, I guess I gotta find you a date!”

“No—”

“Yes!” she cut over me, her eyes brimming in anticipation.

“I don’t have to have a date, Miette. Besides,” I began, folding my arms, “who’s your date?”

“Well—”

“Miette! What do you think?”

I turned towards the voice almost as quickly as Miette, who surprisingly didn’t snap her body in half with the speed she turned. The boy that stood there… Pikachu on the shoulder… that unruly black hair… no way, she didn’t ask—

“Ash! You look great!” she chimed, running over (as well as she could in a ball gown, anyway) to the boy. Though I wouldn’t have expected it, he cleaned up pretty well.

“Thanks,” he replied, suddenly bashful. Wait, the brash boy could also be bashful? What was going on here? He turned towards me, and gasped, “Hoshiko! Long time no see!”

“Same,” I said, sighing in relief. Finally someone I could talk normally to. “How are you?”

“Great! I’ve got seven badges.”

“So does Ruby!” I exclaimed. The two were on the same pace to meet at the Kalos League! Perhaps they would compete at the same time. Perhaps they’d get to battle each other! That would be pretty exciting. Ash opened his mouth to speak again:

“Where is he?”

“Uh, probably getting dressed, or something…”

Ash stared, seeming concerned somehow, and I raised my hands in front of my chest, palms out, ready to defend myself when we all heard a shout from the dressing rooms.

“Ruby! That’s a perfect color for you!”

Though Miette and Ash turned right away, I didn’t much want to see. Reluctantly, I turned my head as well. Lisia stood in the seafoam gown she’d selected earlier, which sported navy lace floral trim along the bodice. Ruby wore a long, forest green coat accented with dark grey, similar in style to the coat Ash wore, and black slacks. The only bright color in his ensemble was a crimson cravat attached to his collar. Without his beanie to hold it back, his hair hung in his face. Sighing, he brushed his bangs aside, but to no avail.

“I really can’t wear my hat, Lisia?” he whined.

“Miette didn’t let me wear my hat either,” Ash said, sympathizing with the boy. Ruby jumped, not having noticed us before, and then he broke out into a grin.

“Miette! Ash! Hey!”

“That’s probably the most excited he’s ever been to see me,” Miette deadpanned, but smiled back all the same. “Hey Ruby! You look great! Very suave.”

“Ya think?” Ruby replied grinning, tugging his cravat slightly with both hands. Since when was he so excited about looking good? He then turned to me, eagerness shining through his slate colored eyes. Those eyes seemed even more brilliant, emphasized by the gray trim on his coat… “What about you, Hoshiko?”

“What about me?”

“Well, I know what Lisia and Miette think, so I was wondering…” He turned bashful then, looking slightly over my shoulder. I followed his eyes to find a wall.

As I turned back, I saw two interesting expressions – a sour pout on Lisia and a restrained smirk on Miette. Ash stared between us ladies, seeming unsure of the situation. Well, that makes two of us!

“Um, I mean, it’s fine,” I replied. Despite what it may seem from my journey so far, I’ve never really been into fashion.

“Fine?” he echoed. Was that… disappointment? 

Miette broke the awkward silence. Staring straight at me, she said, “So there’s a couple problems here.” Blunt as always.

“What do you—”

“One!” she began, cutting me off. “You are still in your street clothes. And two!” Before I could offer up a protest, she continued, “You don’t have a date.”

“I don’t think either of those are—”

“Thankfully, I, Miette Gateaux, have a solution to both of those problems.”

“You do?” Ruby asked before I could.

“I am aware of someone at this venue who does not currently have a date.”

“Who?” Lisia inquired, her eyes saucer-wide.

“If you will all join me,” Miette replied mysteriously, grabbing Ash’s hand and dragging him along behind her.

“I guess we should follow her,” Ruby said.

“I’d rather not,” I added.

“This is going to be GREAT!” Lisia chirped again, ignoring our reactions once more.

We stopped in front of a familiar trio: a girl about my age, with short, dirty blonde hair in a red and orange ball gown; a boy about my age, with a shock of yellow hair and dressed in a jacket not unlike Ruby’s, but in a slightly brighter green with mustard yellow trim; and a younger girl, with hair just like the boy’s, wearing a goldenrod dress and an orange flower in her hair. Miette engaged the dirty blonde in animated conversation, and the poor girl turned as red as her dress. She turned away and finally caught our eyes.

“Oh, Hoshiko!” she exclaimed, smiling slightly. “It’s great to see you.”

“Same,” I replied, grinning outright. I wondered absently who Serena was going with, seeing as her crush was taken by none other than Miette. How had that girl swooped in and gotten Ash as a date anyway? “How’s it been?”

“It’s been good… I’ve improved a ton since the last time we met.”

“I know!” Serena looked confused, so I followed up with, “I saw your win in Dendemille Town on TV. You and your Pokemon were amazing!”

“Oh!” the girl gasped, flushing again. “Well, thanks, Hoshiko! I also won the Anistar City TriPokalon, so I’m only one key away from the Master Class!” The girl’s eyes brightened, and I could see all of her determination and passion within then. I found myself thinking that if Serena were the mystery date Miette had for me, it wouldn’t be so bad. “And you, how have things been for you?”

Shaking my head to clear the previous thought, I replied, “Same as you. Improving.” Serena seemed troubled by my answer, and I imagine it had to do with the fact that the Snowbelle TriPokalon still weighed heavily on my mind.

Sensing that I didn’t want to continue, she changed the subject. “Who are you here with?” She finally made it to the million-dollar question. “… Ruby?” she added cautiously.

“W-why—?” I began, but managed to stop myself. It made sense. After all, Ruby and I were travelling partners. Serena cocked her head to one side, and I sighed, realizing that an explanation was required. “I… I mean, no, I’m not. I don’t have a dance partner yet.”

“What!?” she shouted. I jumped back, and she looked apologetic. “Um, I mean, we’re at a dance party where you’re required to have a date…”

“I know. Not my call, though.” A pause. Then, “So who are you here with? I see Miette nabbed Ash.”

Serena flushed crimson, going past her ball gown in color. “Clemont. I didn’t think that Miette would…” she trailed off. Sighing, she shook her head and donned a smile. “But Eevee is so happy to be with Bunnelby, and that’s the main reason I asked Clemont.”

“Eevee?” I asked. 

“Oh, right, I caught an Eevee!” she exclaimed, her eyes alight. “She’s an amazing dancer, though a little shy. But you should watch her dance today if you can!”

I made a mental note to do just that. As I prepared to let the girl know, another voice from my right cut me off. “Hosh! Here’s your date.”

I turned to see Miette and the little goldenrod girl. “… Bonnie?”

“Since Ash is with Miette and Serena is with my big brother, I don’t have a date yet,” Bonnie said, her smile large and radiant. “So I’d be happy to be your date, Hoshiko!”

The girl was too cute, with her smile and the flower in her hair and her tiny ball gown. “I’d be a fool to say no, Miss Bonnie,” I replied.

She giggled, stifling it behind her hand. “You’d better get changed, though, I can’t be seen with a date who’s not even dressed up!”

Sighing with faux-drama, I made my way with Miette over to the dress racks. As I took a moment to take everything in, the blue-head interrupted my thoughts with a snap. “We’ve only got about five minutes before Pierre makes his opening announcement so hurry up!”

Sighing with real drama this time, I grabbed the nearest dress to me and tried it on. I faced the mirror to find myself in a pale purple dress, not unlike irises in the spring, with silver sparkles all over the bodice, tapering off downwards until the bottom of the dress, like stars in twilight.

I lived up to my chosen name in that moment, looking as if I were a child of the stars.

“You look so pretty, Hosh!”

And so the dance began.

\--

Performers and trainers swept across the floor, trading partners and trading dances.

I’d started out with Bonnie, whose dancing was closer to jumping, but I didn’t mind that at all. Her Dedenne and my Spritzee spun around in the air, the two fairy Pokemon connecting instantly, chattering and giggling the whole time. Then, Pierre announced the surprise trade. I danced with a boy who I didn’t recognize, but who was nice enough. My next partner seemed like he wanted to be there as much as I had initially, and we talked instead of dancing. After that, I danced with Ash, who also couldn’t dance but laughed his way through it. I couldn’t help but join him. Somehow, I had a better idea as to why Miette and Serena were enamored with the boy. As my dance with Ash ended, I turned to my left to see a very familiar someone clad in green and gray.

“You look lovely,” Ruby said, a grin on his face. He reached one hand out, and I felt my hands quake. Why… what… maybe I’d had too much coffee? Despite that, I lifted my shuddering hand and slipped it into his. He smiled, and brought me close, placing his other hand on my waist. I almost jumped away, feeling as if a jolt of electricity had shot out of his hand, but managed to still myself. What in the hell—

“All right, everyone!”

Pierre’s lightly French-accented lilt snapped me out of my strange funk, and I pulled my hand away from Ruby’s as I’d realized that the music had stopped. He almost seemed disappointed, but he turned his head too quickly for me to tell. A scream erupted from next to me, and I turned to see Serena standing across from Ash, her face scrunched into a pout.

“I just wanted to dance some more…” I heard her mumble to Ash, who seemed to be trying to comfort the girl.

Pierre spread his arms wide, his signal that he was to make an important announcement, I’d realized. “And now, it’s time for the main event! In TriPokalon, we don’t usually showcase Pokemon abilities through battle, so today’s challenge will be a unique one. Hold up your cards to the light. If you see a symbol, you have been selected to take part in a tag battle!”

“What card?” I asked. Across from me, Ruby pulled out a card and did as Pierre instructed. “Where did you get that?”

“Front desk,” he replied simply.

I thought a moment, and remembered: right, Lisia had dragged me to the dressing room immediately. I looked across the circle to see the girl, and she had her arms crossed over her chest. Guess she never checked in, either. I peered over Ruby’s shoulder, and watched as in the light a bow tie appeared under the Pokeball in the center of the card.

“Hey, is that what Pierre means by a symbol?” I asked, touching my pointer finger to the tie. Ruby jumped slightly, turning to meet me. Before he could reply, a flash of blue crossed the circle and stopped next to us.

“Ruby! You have a bow tie, too!” Miette had joined us, her eyes glittering in excitement. “I think that means you’re my partner in this battle,” she added, holding her card next to Ruby’s. An identical bow tie appeared under her card’s Pokeball.

“Guess so,” he replied, smiling. “This’ll be fun!”

“Yeah, especially considering our opponents,” Miette noted, her tone teasing.

“Who would that be?”

But Miette grabbed Ruby’s hand without answering my question, and dragged him to the far side of the battlefield that had somehow formed in the middle. A streak of green replaced Miette almost as quickly as she’d gone, and Lisia’s voice slammed into my ear, “This is gonna be so much fun to watch Ruby battling!”

“Honestly, I’m more interested in seeing Miette battle,” I replied. Had I ever seen the girl battle? I couldn’t remember.

“Well, that too,” Lisia added. She paused a moment before continuing, “Did you have fun?”

“I guess.” It felt like a lie, but I didn’t want to tell her of all people that I’d enjoyed myself.

“You guess? You looked like you had fun! Especially when you were dancing with Ash,” Lisia observed.

How had she noticed that? Wasn’t she dancing the entire time, too? “He was kinda silly, so that made it fun,” I admitted. “What about you?”

“Oooh, it was so great!” she chirped. “I got to dance with Ruby, of course, he’s actually a pretty good dancer! He said his dad made him learn, or something. And then I danced with Charlie, and he…”

Lisia said much, much more, but I tuned her out after that. Her chattering in my ear finally ceased, and I got ready to make some kind of reply to make it seem like I’d been listening, but then she shouted, “Hoshi, look! Ash and Serena are Miette and Ruby’s opponents!”

“I’m excited to see how Ruby and Miette battle!” a new voice announced.

Clemont and Bonnie had made their way over to Lisia and myself, and the two siblings had matching grins on their faces. Bonnie turned to me, and with that winning smile, declared, “Thank you for being my dance partner, Hoshiko! I had soooo much fun!”

“Thank you for asking,” I replied. “I wouldn’t have been able to take part in this without you.”

“De-de-ne!” Dedenne added, popping its head out of Bonnie’s pouch, also seeming to thank me. It looked up to my head, where Spritzee had just landed, and repeated its thanks.

“Sprit-zee~!” the perfume Pokemon replied.

“Do you want to watch the battle, too?” I asked, trying to look up at the Pokemon who had made itself comfortable atop my head.

“Sprit!”

Well, that sounded like a yes to me.

In front of us, everyone had gathered to see the battle. Ruby and Miette stood with Pikachu and Slurpuff in front of them, and across the way Ash and Serena along with Pikachu and Eevee faced them. This would be an interesting battle!

“Pikachu versus Pikachu!?” Lisia exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “This is gonna be great! Hoshi! Don’t you think?”

I nodded wordlessly, not wanting to get into a conversation with the girl right then. Lisia stared at me a moment, seeming confused, then looked back towards the battlefield. Pierre stood between the two partner pairs, his arms raised parallel to the ground. “And now, let the battle commence!”

“Ah, I don’t even know who to cheer for!” Lisia whined, pouting. “Who are you cheering for, Hoshi?”

“Hmm…” I muttered, looking between the four. Miette was my best friend, and Ruby my travel partner. But Ash had grit and Serena had clear talent. So who would I cheer for?

“Goooo Ash, Serena!” Bonnie chirped. Dedenne echoed her announcement from the pouch. Well, guess Bonnie has her pair picked out.

I turned back to the field to see Ruby’s Pikachu in fierce competition with Ash’s own. The two electric mice attacked each other, neither seeming to damage the other much.

“Slurpuff, use Energy Ball on Eevee!” Miette commanded.

The meringue Pokemon spun on one foot before launching its grassy attack, knocking right into Eevee. The fox made no effort to dodge, despite its purported dancing ability. Why did it seem so skittish all of a sudden? Then, I remembered:

_She’s an amazing dancer, though a little shy._

A little shy, huh…

“Now Slurpuff, jump on Pikachu!”

“Quick Attack!”

“And add Fairy Wind!”

“Wha—!”

The duo of Ruby and Miette gave their commands so quickly and in sync that Serena could only gasp in shock as a second and third attack landed on her Pokemon. She fell to her knees, kneeling beside her partner, who struggled to stand.

“Eevee… I believe in you!” she shouted, eyes determined.

Belief… there that word was again! Ruby’s belief in his Swampert, who learned Hammer Arm during the battle with Wulfric. And now Serena’s belief in her Eevee, who—

“HOSHI, LOOK!”

—evolved right before our very eyes.

\--

“That… was… AMAZING!”

Lisia ran over to Serena, flailing around enthusiastically. Serena giggled, placing one hand behind her head as she answered all of Lisia’s inquiries. The gorgeous pink fox Pokemon with buggy blue eyes and ribbon-like tendrils flowing about it – Sylveon – stood at Serena’s side, the once shy Pokemon replaced by one of grace and confidence. Across from them, Miette and Ruby shared a high five, smiling and laughing despite their loss. Since Lisia had chosen to go with Serena and Ash, I paid the other two a visit.

“Hey,” I began, but Miette and Ruby both cut me off before I could say anything else.

“Wasn’t that battle awesome?” Ruby asked.

“I had so much fun!” Miette added.

Clearly they didn’t need any encouragement from me, so I simply nodded in response. The two went back to chatting animatedly with one another, recounting different moments from the battle with gusto. Despite feeling left out, I also felt thankful that two close friends of mine seemed much closer after that battle.

I searched the dance floor, and watched as the crowd slowly thinned. The girl that Pierre had come with practically disappeared, several journalists following right behind. If that’s the life of a Kalos Queen… I could take or leave that part of it. The blonde scanned the area as well, and it wasn’t long before we locked eyes.

“Hoshiko!” Pierre exclaimed, closing our gap quickly. “How did you find my dance party?”

“Pretty great,” I admitted, finally able to tell the truth. “I wasn’t sure at first, but…”

“I’m glad you decided to come,” he said. “You look lovely, just like a star in that dress, _mon_ Astrette.”

“I…” I murmured, unsure with how to respond. There was that name again! Astrette, the one word that caused chills to go up my spine. A reminder of that old life I’d wanted to cast aside. What was I supposed to say?

“Ah, _désolé_ ,” Pierre sighed, seeming to realize something. “You will have to pardon me, Hoshiko. I remember that you don’t like that name.”

“It’s fine,” I replied quickly. I didn’t want him to feel too badly; Pierre did nothing wrong. “Um, anyway… how did you find your dance party?”

“ _C’est magnifique!_ ” he announced in his mother tongue. “It was wonderful,” he translated. After a moment of thought, a finger tapping his chin, he added, “But one thing I think could have improved it.”

I should have known before asking, but I didn’t right away. “And what would that be?”

“A dance with the lovely star before me.”

“Well…” I couldn’t believe the words until they’d left me, and even then I still couldn’t believe them. “It’s not too late to have that dance.”

Pierre grinned, holding out one hand for me. “Shall we, then?”

In response, I took his hand in mine. Klefki, who had been hovering right by Pierre, made its way over to the piano player. Said man looked up, saw me and Pierre, and with a small smile started up a tune.

“ _Merci_ , Jacques.” Pierre returned the man’s smile, and swept us across the dance floor.

“Yes Hosh!”

“Hoshiii!”

Miette and Lisia cheered me on… whatever this was. Just a dance, really. I suppose it made up for the fact that none of my partners during the party could actually dance. Spritzee and Klefki spun around us, the two Pokemon giggling as they floated along. The dance ended almost as quickly as it started, and Pierre pulled himself away from me, seeming reluctant.

“That was just as enjoyable as I had imagined,” Pierre breathed.

“Did you imagine it would be boring, or…?”

The teen laughed, his navy eyes alight. “I suppose I could have been more specific. That was wonderful, _mon_ Astrette.”

I felt so light after his compliment that I hardly noticed the name this time.

“What’s Astrette? Do you know, Ruby?” I heard Miette ask Ruby. After a strange pause, I wondered if something was wrong and turned to look at the trio. Miette stared at the boy, waiting for his response. “Ruby?” she finally followed up. Ruby must have been incredibly distracted with all of his glowering, straight in our direction.

“It’s Pierre’s nickname for Hoshi!” Lisia supplied, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “He called her that after their date!”

How had she remembered such a small detail as that!?

“What does that have to do with Hoshiko?”

“Um… I think…” Lisia paused, tapping the tip of her pointer finger to her chin. “It has to do something with the meaning of her name, I think.”

I started to walk over to them, wanting to set the record straight, when Pierre caught my wrist with his hand. “Hold on, Hoshiko.”

“Uh… yeah?”

“At least let me bid you _adieu_.”

I felt a heat creep up my cheeks into my ears. I’d almost walked away without saying good-bye, how rude!

“Ah, I’m sorry, I—”

But Pierre cut me off with a kiss to the hand, a flash of a smile, and a wave. He disappeared into the doors from where he’d originally come, presumably to clean up the backstage and prepare for his next show. I stared off at where he had been, unconsciously rubbing the hand he’d kissed with the palm of my other hand.

“Earth to Hoshiko! We need you out of the stars and back here with us.”

“Oh, uh…” What had Miette just said? Stars… “That’s going to be a challenge for me,” I said, laughing. None of the three were in on the joke, so they stared. “The meaning of my name is child of the stars. Hoshiko in Japanese, Astrette in Kalosian French,” I explained.

Lisia’s eyes lit in recognition, and Miette nodded in understanding. Ruby, meanwhile, stared, his mouth gaping slightly, as if stunned by something.

“Ruby? You stroking out over there?”

“Wh-wha!?” he yelled, seeming shocked. “Who’s stroking what?”

Well that was… an odd response, to say the least. Miette doubled over with laughter, her mind the quickest to go _there_ , so to say, and Lisia stared at the girl. “What’s so funny?”

“I’ll—I’ll tell you when you’re older, Lisia!” Miette managed through laughs.

“Older… you’re not older than me! I’m 14!”

“Hah! That’s great! I’m still 13!”

It rarely showed, but in moments like these, Miette was definitely still 13.

“Okay, now if we’re done being 13,” I interjected. “Ruby, you’re being super strange. You sure you’re okay?”

The boy nodded, but crossed his arms over his chest as if trying to fold into himself. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“Uh…” Lisia mumbled, staring at the boy. 

Miette’s eyes lit up just then, as if realizing something. “Yeah, let’s go,” the girl said, grabbing my hand in hers.

After changing back into our regular clothes, the four of us walked towards our hotel without speaking a word, the stars silently winking above.


	16. Not Quite Norman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star gains some clarity.

**_Not Quite Norman_ ** _  
August_

“We made it!” Lisia croaked loudly, almost as if clearing her throat for the first time in a while.

“Finally…” Miette muttered, brushing her hands on the front of her magenta coatdress absently. 

Miette’s annoyance was warranted, considering the number of battles and skirmishes we’d gotten into on the way. Ruby refused to back down from any of the challenges, many from trainers who had seven or even eight badges.

 _“I need to get my eighth badge,”_ he would say whenever asked why he had to take yet another challenge.

After the third or so time he’d said that, Lisia had replied, _“There’s nothing to worry about! You’re an amazing trainer! You’ve done all this before in Hoenn, right?”_

At that, Ruby’s face turned dark, much darker than I’d ever seen on him. _“I did not do all this in Hoenn, and you of all people should know that!”_

He hadn’t laid a hand on Lisia, but he may as well have shoved her, considering the force of his words. The girl took a step back as if struck, and stared at the boy.

 _“Ruby!”_ Miette had snapped, infuriated. She stepped in, standing between Lisia and Ruby. _“That’s completely unfair. Don’t take your insecurity out on Lisia!”_

Ruby didn’t back down right away, the glare still locked on his face. He glanced at Lisia, then Miette, and finally at me. I’m not sure how I looked in that moment, but I’d never seen Ruby react in any way resembling that before, so I imagine I must have looked shocked. Upon taking in our expressions, he suddenly sobered, his mouth agape in a shock of its own.

 _“Oh,”_ he said simply. _“I… Sorry, Lisia.”_

 _“Um…”_ was all she could manage.

 _“Sorry, Miette… Hoshiko,”_ he added. _“That was out of line, wasn’t it?”_

We all nodded, Lisia quite weakly, and that was the last time we’d said anything when Ruby insisted on battling trainers. But a two or three day trip extended into a fourth day and with that we finally arrived in Anistar City. Ruby left us to go train, though it was quite late at night, and myself, Lisia, and Miette made our way to the hotel room. After a bit of silence, where Lisia caught up on PokeGram and Miette chatted with her family, Lisia finally broke the awkwardness between us with a simple question.

“What’s going on with Ruby?”

Her voice squeaked at the end, and I felt for the girl.

“No idea,” Miette replied, shrugging. She turned to me, “What about you, Hosh?”

“I don’t—” But as I started that sentence, a wayward memory from the day Ruby and I had met up for the first time in Kalos came flooding back:

_“I went back in and told the voice that I’d gotten seven badges in Hoenn, so really I had eight badges in total, but it asked again how many Kalos badges I’d gotten. The answer was still one. So it kicked me out again.”_

__

__

_“You got seven badges in Hoenn? So which badge didn’t you get?”_

And his eyes… those stunning eyes, a pure gray like untouched stone, had glazed over, not unlike what had happened when Lisia had asked him about his Hoenn League challenge. I recounted this to the pair, who both looked surprised.

“So, he gets angry when his Hoenn gym badges are mentioned?” Miette asked. She turned to Lisia expectantly, and said girl pouted.

“Whaaaat?” Lisia drawled. “I don’t know! I did date him for a few months… but I don’t know why he’s all upset about that!”

“Well…” I mumbled. Something seemed to connect, though it was a long shot. “He has seven badges now. And he only got seven badges when he was in Hoenn. Maybe he’s worried that he won’t get his eighth badge here, either?”

Miette gasped, then nodded vigorously in reply. “That’s oddly observant of you, Hosh!”

“Thanks—wait, oddly?” I snapped, realizing too late that I’d been insulted. But Miette barreled on, as if I’d said nothing at all.

“That would make sense! Accepting all of the challenges, training until ridiculous hours… he doesn’t want to be stuck in that same place again, with only seven of the requisite eight badges for the league challenge.”

Lisia frowned, seeming deep in thought. “Huh, he never seemed that upset about it when we were together… he had four badges when we started dating, so having seven by the time he left Hoenn is definitely impressive!” She paused, but then quickly started again, eyes widening, as if she’d realized something important. “Ah, but, but, we were together for almost three months before he tried to get his fifth badge!”

“What?” I asked.

Lisia nodded. “Yeah! I’d thought that was odd. He seemed pumped about challenging gyms and all that but didn’t challenge one from when I met him until…” She paused to count on her fingers. “… March, I think.”

March… I’d still been living in Hoenn, then. But I’d just found out that I’d be moving to Kalos; the move happened in April. So March was when we'd...!

“Yeah, he challenged the Fortree City Gym then, and won,” Lisia recalled, cementing the realization that I’d had.

“Maybe something happened during the gym battle he’d had before that,” Miette theorized. “Something that turned him away from battling for several months—”

The lock to the hotel room door clicked. I stood to attention, Miette slapped a hand over her mouth, and Lisia practically launched herself at me. The three of us must have looked a sight, for the Ruby behind the door barely managed to stifle a laugh.

“What… what were you three doing just now?” he giggled, barely managing to get his words out.

“Nothing—”

“Just talking—”

“It’s not important—”

Ruby took each of us in, and his giggles stopped only momentarily before transforming into huge, gulping laughs.

“You three—ahahah!—you look so silly!”

We each made eye contact with one another, and managed smiles. None of us had seen Ruby laugh or even smile for the past few days, and somehow, though he was clearly making fun, it felt refreshing.

“Oh, uh, right,” he said, finally sobering. “I have apologies to make.” He sat down on the bed next to Miette, and faced both me and Lisia. I sat back down to be eye level with him, right next to Lisia. “I’m sorry that I got angry. Especially at you, Lisia…” Said girl nodded hesitantly, and a shy smile made its way onto Ruby’s face. “I’m worried about this upcoming gym battle. But that was no reason for me to treat you all like that. I’d still like your support tomorrow, if you’re willing…” He trailed off there, looking at each of us, barely able to conceal the apprehension in his eyes.

“Of course we are, Ruby.”

It was a relief to break the silence, and I felt my breathing return to normal. The boy let out his held breath, locking eyes with me. “Thanks, Hoshiko. That means a lot.”

“Count me in, for sure!” Miette added, nodding vigorously.

“Miette…” he said, smiling at the girl. He then turned to Lisia, his face less expectant than it had been before.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything, Ruby,” she finally said, breaking out into a grin.

“Thank you,” he replied simply.

The four of us, completely exhausted, didn’t talk the rest of the night.

\--

“Welcome, challenger!”

A young girl approached the four of us, a tablet in her hand. She didn’t look up as she addressed us, saying, “So, I see you’ve arrived, Rubeus Senri.”

“What?” Ruby choked, clearly shocked.

The girl finally looked up from her tablet, peering up at Ruby from under frameless glasses. “That’s who you are, right? Rubeus Senri, from Hoenn.”

The four of us stared blankly at one another, until Ruby found his voice. “Well, yes, but how did you—”

“Olympia has been expecting you,” the girl said, as if it explained anything about the situation, and pushed her glasses up with the side of her left index finger. “Please, follow me.”

“This is extremely weird,” Miette muttered under her breath. 

Extremely weird didn’t even begin to cover it.

The hall opened up into the gym arena, a large domed room with stars twinkling above, not unlike a planetarium. Though the afternoon had just begun, it seemed to be permanent twilight in the room. A purple-haired woman, adorned by majestic robes, glided towards us. She looked as if she had something else on her mind, though she managed to make eye contact with Ruby just fine.

“Welcome, Rubeus,” the woman spoke, her eyes on Ruby. “And welcome to your friends, Analisia, Miette, and…” she paused slightly, her lips quirking up as she finished, “… Hoshiko.”

I wondered the reason for her pause, but I also had a pretty good guess as to why. After all, she’d used given names for both Ruby and Lisia.

“Do not be surprised by my power. I am gifted with sight for things to come.” She paused then, opening her arms and her galaxy-inspired cloak to us. “I am Olympia, leader of the Anistar City Gym. I accept your challenge, Rubeus, if you so wish to declare it.”

“I—” He paused, looking back at the three of us, and we all nodded together. “I do! I challenge you to a battle!”

Olympia broke out into a huge grin, spreading her arms wide. “Excellent. Sophie, if you would take your place.”

“Yes ma’am,” the girl – Sophie – replied, standing to the right of the two. “The rules are as follows – two Pokemon each, double battle style. There are no substitutions by either trainer. Let the battle begin!

Ruby immediately reacted, reaching towards his belt and pulling out two Pokeballs. “Time to show ‘em, Tropius and Pikachu!”

Olympia wordlessly called out her two Pokemon – a pair of Meowstics. One was the same blue-black color as Miette’s, the other a shimmering white.

“GO RUBY GO!” Lisia shouted from next to me. She’d decided to wear her cheerleading outfit, and shook her pompoms without abandon. Thankfully she hadn’t forced me to do the same, or I’d never have heard the end of it from Miette.

“A double battle, huh,” Miette remarked. “This should be interesting!”

There was a long, odd silence on the battlefield in which neither trainer said anything. Perhaps each was waiting for the other to begin. I could practically see the impatience radiating off of Ruby, until he finally shouted, “Tropius, use Whirlwind!”

“Dodge it, Meowstic.”

Tropius brought its great leafy wings behind it and flapped three times. Meowstic, however, effortlessly dodged the attack and rode the wind into the air instead.

“Shit!”

I couldn’t believe Ruby had not only said, but shouted the word. I couldn’t recall a time that I’d seen the boy caught off-guard so early in a battle.

“Shit is right,” Miette muttered. “What a big advantage to give to your opponent!”

“Tropius, aim your Whirlwind at Pikachu! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!”

“Light Screen,” Olympia commanded, staring into the sky. She then looked back towards the ground and added, “Use Future Sight.”

“How are we supposed to know which one she’s talking to?” Lisia whined. “This is totally unfair!”

“I think the more pressing question is, how do they know which one she’s talking to?” Miette pondered, tapping a finger to her chin.

I didn’t respond to either of them, as I didn’t have any ideas myself. I instead focused on Ruby, who seemed completely bewildered, looking back and forth from the blue Meowstic to the white one and back again. If he couldn’t focus himself, there was little chance for him to win…

Finally, the airborne blue Meowstic surrounded itself in a protective forcefield – Light Screen – through which Thunderbolt passed and fizzled out to nothing. The white Meowstic held its paws together in concentration, preparing its Future Sight.

“Urgh, uh…” Ruby paused, staring straight in front of him. “Tropius, use Whirlwind then Magical Leaf! Pikachu, ride into the Whirlwind with Volt Tackle towards the blue Meowstic!”

A small smile curled onto Olympia’s face, and it took everything I had to keep from storming down there and smacking it straight off. “Helping Hand. Psyshock.”

The white Meowstic launched itself into the air, and with help from the blue Meowstic’s psychic power, the two joined hands and enhanced their psychic powers. Pikachu and the rainbow leaves stopped short of their target, and the electric mouse Pokemon wriggled in an attempt to break free.

“No…”

“Now!”

The Meowstic duo released Pikachu, who started plummeting towards the ground at an alarming rate. In a desperate stutter, Ruby managed to say, “Tr-Tropius! Catch Pikachu!”

Tropius rode across the battlefield easily, and it seemed that it would catch Pikachu without trouble. But out of the corner of my eye, I managed to see Olympia raising her arm up, and the Meowstic duo cast their tiny paws downward. The Magical Leaf, which had stayed completely forgotten in the sky, shot through the sky towards Ruby’s pair.

“Tropius, aim your Whirlwind towards the sky!”

But it was completely futile – the fruit Pokemon’s gusts were nothing compared to the combined psychic power of the Meowstics. The leaves, Pikachu, and the force of psychic energy all slammed into Tropius.

“Ah…” Ruby stood wordless, staring across the battlefield at nothing at all.

“DON’T QUIT YET!”

I hadn’t realized it, but I’d snatched a pompom out of Lisia’s hand before shouting. Ruby muttered something back at me, but I couldn’t hear it from where we were.

“WHAT?”

“IT’S HOPELESS!” he bellowed, turning around to face me. The frustration etched in his face was beyond anything I’d ever seen on him before.

“DON’T BE RIDICULOUS! YOU’VE MADE IT THIS FAR!”

Both Miette and Lisia winced beside me, the latter covering her right ear with her remaining pompom, but I didn’t much care. Ruby couldn’t throw the battle, not this early on, and shouting apparently was the only way he’d hear me from up here.

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” He seemed close to tears now, and despite the fact that he didn’t let any fall, his voice betrayed his struggle to keep them in. “I’LL NEVER—”

But what Ruby would never do was lost on us, as the white Meowstic finally let loose its Future Sight attack. Both Pikachu and Tropius were caught in the attack, and the pair fell to the ground, unable to battle. Ruby recalled his Pokemon and bolted even before Sophie could announce the victor. I ran after him, possessed by an inexplicable urge, struggling to keep his retreating form in my sight. I wondered how far we ran, or even where we were going, but I followed him until we’d far passed the city limits. The ground below went from solid to… crunchy?

“Snow…”

Ruby stopped running and stared into the sky above, where snow fell gently around us. Thankfully he finally stopped; I don’t think I would have made it much longer. I’m a weightlifter, not a sprinter, for crying out loud! And with that thought, I collapsed in the snow, completely spent.

Ruby practically jumped, as if noticing for the first time that he wasn’t alone. After he realized what had happened to me, he quickly closed our distance while sputtering, “Hoshiko, what the hell!”

“Same to you…” I managed to say as the world spun around me.

“Stop talking,” he muttered, kneeling down to meet me where I was. “You didn’t have to follow me.”

“Obviously… I know that…”

“I said stop talking!”

I pursed my lips, attempting to prevent any further words from slipping out.

“You’re dehydrated.” He said simply, shaking his head at me. “You need to drink less coffee and more water.”

How could he be mad at me for that when… “You’re the one… who usually buys me coffee…”

He flushed and turned away then. “You have a point. It’s not a healthy habit, though.”

Why was this conversation turning into an intervention for my caffeine addiction? But then, I realized something odd. “If you think it’s so bad… then why… do you spend so much money… on coffee for me?”

“I—” He managed to flush even brighter, and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s not important now! We need to get you back to town.”

Perhaps it was the dehydration making me crazy, but something seemed important about that. “Then promise me… you’ll tell me… later…”

He sighed. “Fine, whatever gets you to stop talking.” He reached under me, attempting to lift me, but not getting very far. “Fuck. You’re too—”

“Careful there…”

He attempted to stifle a chuckle, but ended up unsuccessful. “You’re too muscular, little weak me can’t move you.”

I tried to giggle in response, but it ended up more like a choked wheeze. “Thanks…” The world started to spot around me, and Ruby’s face changed from amusement to concern.

“Please stop talking. Really. You’re going to lose consciousness.”

By that point, I couldn’t even focus on his words anymore. His face faded in and out of my vision, but I put all my effort into focusing on it so I would stay conscious. His slate eyes, glimmering with all sorts of mysterious emotions, his lips, pursed in concern, his cheeks, lighting pink from the chill around us…

“Hoshiko… Hoshiko!” he yelped, the last words I heard before I gave in to the blackness.

\--

“… the Kalos Queen of fainting, at any rate,” I heard as I came to.

I had no idea who’d said it, but it was obvious who they were referring to. “Don’t say that about me…”

“Hoshiko!”

I opened my eyes to see three blurs surrounding me, one of them with a blue blur atop their head, one surrounded by a bright blue light, and one with a small blue halo. 

“Why the hell do all of you wear blue? I can’t tell you apart…”

The three laughed together, and at my left I recognized Ruby’s gasping laugh, directly next to him but a little further away, Lisia’s chirp of a giggle, and right by my right ear, Miette’s whooping chuckle.

“Ruby…” I murmured, turning to my left. “How did we get out of that mess?”

“Um,” he muttered, seemingly embarrassed.

“Were you able to get me out of there?”

“Sort of…”

“Sort of? What do you mean?”

“I had some help. From Zoe,” he said.

Zoe? The Zorua? “But she’s like… two feet tall.”

Despite my cloudy vision, I was certain Ruby rolled his eyes. “I know that. But when she sensed something was wrong, she popped out of her Pokeball and used her Illusion ability to mimic…”

“Mimic what?”

“Me…” he managed to finish.

“… what?”

“It was pretty hilarious, Hoshi!” Lisia chirped. “You should have seen the look on Miette’s face when we saw two Rubys carrying you to the hospital!”

“The look on my face? What about the look on your face?” Miette retorted, though her tone sounded much less angry than her words. “Oh, actually, I have pictures. Take a look, Hosh!”

“What?!” Ruby snapped, and his footsteps circled over from my left to my right. “Delete that!”

“Nope!” Miette giggled. “At least not until Hosh sees.”

I rubbed my eyes, and finally things started to get clearer. Miette had practically shoved her HoloCaster into my face, and its closeness made me jump and bang my head.

“Ouch!” I cried, rubbing my head where it made contact with the wall.

“She’s gonna faint again!”

“Look what you did, Miette!”

“I’m fine!” How did I end up travelling with not one, but two complete drama queens? “Let me see these pictures.”

The first photo starred a close-up of Lisia’s face. The girl wore an expression I’d never seen on her, one of wonder, shock, and complete confusion.

“Ugh! I look horrible in this!” Lisia whined. “You’d better not upload that to PokeGram!”

“Too late,” Miette replied, and Lisia started ranting at the girl. Ignoring her, Miette continued, “And here’s the photo of Ruby, Zoe, and you.”

Miette switched to the next photo, and it took everything I had not to slam my head into the wall again. Two Rubys! Together the pair held me parallel to the ground. One of the Rubys stood behind my head with his arms hooked under my armpits, and the other stood between my legs, holding me by my knees. The Ruby by my knees held his head high, staring straight ahead, and the Ruby by my head looked at my face, a tender smile on his lips that I’d never seen before…

“Which one is Zoe and which is you?” I asked him. After all, if the one by my head had been Zoe, that would make sense. What reason would Ruby have to make a face like that?

“Um, I… I mean… why?”

“I’m just curious.”

“I, uh, don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

Even if Ruby hadn’t looked wracked with guilt, it would have been obvious that he was lying. I looked away from him, and at Miette, who shrugged.

“Well, Ruby and Zoe brought you to the hospital bed, and we were required to stay in the waiting room while that all happened, so Lisia and I don’t know either.”

Lisia nodded to confirm this. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but kept her lips pursed tightly. After a short silence, Miette finally said, “Well, I guess I’ll delete it now. I don’t need it taking up memory.”

“Wait!”

Miette looked down at me, and perhaps it was a trick of the light, but it almost looked as if one of her knowing smiles graced her lips. “Yes?”

“Uh…” I felt myself flush. Before I could stop myself from making a ridiculous request, clearly conjured up by my addled mind, I blurted, “Can you send that picture to me?”

I expected Ruby to challenge my request, considering that he wanted the photo out of existence. I also expected Miette to ask me why I wanted that strange picture. But neither of these things happened, as Miette actually said, “Sure, as long as Ruby’s fine with it.”

“Whatever…” he murmured, turning away from us.

“Well, that wasn’t a no,” Miette said, then tapped a few buttons on her HoloCaster. I heard mine ping moments later, and she deleted the photo from hers. I reached for my HoloCaster as someone new walked into the room.

“Ah, Miss Gateaux, you’re awake!”

A Nurse Joy smiled at the four of us, before continuing, “I need to run some tests before I can clear you, so if your friends wouldn’t mind waiting outside…”

The three of them walked out, and Nurse Joy came up to me. She craned her head out of the door, seeming to make sure that the three had cleared the hall, before saying, “All right, Miss Ichinomiya, let’s get you out of here.”

I almost asked her how she knew, but she got to the question before I did.

“You were in the hospital recently, right?” I nodded. “The nurse who attended to you there marked it in the notes. You go by Hoshiko Gateaux as a performer name, but your legal name is Astrid Ichinomiya.”

A performer name. I’d never heard it said quite like that, but somehow, it fit. I nodded again, and Nurse Joy smiled. “My actual name is Meredith Judith Smith,” she said. I almost started laughing, but managed to hold it in. “It’s a funny name! You can laugh.” So I did. “I mean, it’s ridiculous, right? I always went by MJ, before I became a Joy of course. Oh, but enough of my ranting. Tell me your name and date of birth…”

I went through all of the tests, and Nurse Joy handed me an official notice of discharge. I rejoined my friends in the lobby, and the four of headed off to our hotel for the night.

\--

“I can’t… I can’t do this…”

I heard the murmur from the balcony, and the foreboding words roused me from slumber. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and crossed the threshold separating the room from the balcony. Ruby stood at the end furthest from the doorway, his arms perched on the railing, staring below. He wore his standard sleep getup – a crimson shirt and black shorts – and his normally covered brown hair stuck up at odd angles.

“What are you doing up?”

Ruby jumped, then turned to face me. “You… you didn’t hear me, did you?”

“Something about ‘I can’t do this,’ but other than that, no,” I replied. 

He sighed in relief, but didn’t seem to relax much. He started raking his hands through his hair, in some kind of attempt to smooth it. A nervous habit if I’ve ever seen one. “Sorry to wake you. I have a lot on my mind.”

“Like?”

He stared at me, seeming to consider his next words. “The gym battle… didn’t go well today, did it?”

“It was awful to watch,” I agreed. 

Ruby didn’t seem to like my answer much. “You could have been nicer about it.”

“You asked!”

“Yeah, I did,” he acquiesced.

“And then you got all weird at the end,” I continued, thinking of the shouting match we’d had. What had he said? “You said… you said I couldn’t understand. And that you’d never…” I struggled to remember. What did he say he’d never do? “… I don’t think you got to that part, actually.”

“I didn’t.”

He seemed hesitant to continue, despite the fact that I could practically see his lips itching to move, to get his words out. “Look, I know you said I couldn’t understand. But how can I if you won’t even try to explain?”

He folded his arms across his chest, and broke our eye contact. “I… it’s dumb.”

“Don’t judge it before you’ve even said it.”

He sighed. “It is, though. But fine.” He closed his eyes, as if pretending I wasn’t there, as he continued, “When I was in Hoenn, I took on the gym challenge. Get eight badges, all that. But I never got my eighth badge. I only got seven.” This was the part that I knew already. “You asked me about it, actually. The day we met in Ambrette Town.”

“Asked about what?”

“You asked me which badge I didn’t get. You noticed, even then.” I hadn’t remembered the extent of conversation, only that he mentioned that he hadn’t gotten all eight badges, but now our back and forth conversation at the coffee shop came back to me. “I didn’t get the Balance Badge,” he said, as if expecting me to know what that meant.

“What gym is that?”

“The Petalburg Gym,” he continued slowly. He seemed to be dodging the crux of his issue, though I had no idea where he was going with this.

“Who’s the gym leader there?”

He opened his eyes, finally, and I saw the growing fear in them. Was he afraid of this gym leader? Or was he afraid of me knowing who this person was? Or both…? “His name is Norman,” Ruby breathed. His hands started shaking, distracting him from what he wanted to say. I reached out and grabbed them so they’d stop shaking, and his eyes rose up to meet mine. “Norman Senri,” he finally blurted.

I gasped. Senri… that was Ruby’s last name, too! “Your…?”

He nodded. “My father.” He gulped audibly, struggling to make eye contact with me. I wasn’t sure what troubled him so much about this – so he’d lost to his father, what’s the big deal there? But for some reason he seemed extremely reluctant to continue, so I squeezed his hands to tell him that no matter what, I would try to understand. He smiled softly at my attempt to comfort him, and unconsciously closed the gap between us ever so slightly. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face, which was strangely distracting, so I stared straight into his slate eyes to keep focused.

“Sorry, I know it’s stupid,” Ruby repeated, his voice dropping to a shaky whisper. I shook my head, and he took that as a cue to continue. “But I can’t forget what he said to me the second time I lost to him.”

“What did he say?”

“He… he said…” He whispered the words so quietly that I had to bow my head towards him to hear them. “He said, son, you’ll never be successful the way you are now. You’re missing something important. And until you find it, you won’t win against me.” I felt his fingers curl into my palms, and he shouted, “WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?”

I backed away from him, completely stunned at his shift in volume. He stepped towards me again with regret shining in his eyes. “Sorry, Hoshiko, I’m sorry about that—”

“It’s fine,” I managed to say, before I noticed a couple tears making their way down his face. “... Ruby?”

He shook his head in response, bringing me into an embrace. Though it surprised me at first, I reciprocated the hug; it seemed he needed someone just to listen and be with him. What had he said his father had told him? _You’ll never be successful the way you are?_ Harsh words, especially from one’s own father. Clearly these words had affected him more than he’d ever wanted to let on.

Ruby pulled away, but still held his arms around the middle of my back, his hands about where my shoulder blades were. I’d let my hands rest on his shoulders. It all felt oddly comfortable, despite the heaviness of Ruby’s emotions.

“Thank you, Hoshiko.” His mouth quirked up in a soft smile that looked familiar somehow. Hadn’t I seen that same look recently? As I struggled to think of where I’d seen that expression before, Ruby’s right hand rose from my back and rested on my cheek. The sudden warmth on my face surprised me, and I tilted my head to meet Ruby’s eyes. For a moment I lost myself in a gray sea with blue waves… wait, how close were we that I could clearly see the blue in his eyes!?

“Oh!” I jumped back, my realization of our closeness unsettling. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize we were so close, that was super weird wasn’t it? Anyway, I’m really sorry, I should have—”

“Hoshiko,” Ruby said, his eyes staring over my shoulder. Gone was the smile that had graced his lips earlier and instead they pursed tightly together. “It’s fine, really. I appreciate you listening.”

“Oh, wait! I was gonna say something.”

Ruby frowned. He’d made his way towards the doorway, and it seemed like he wanted out of our conversation at this point. What had I done? Was something going on that I didn’t realize? Maybe I’d offended him by suddenly jumping away. But we were definitely way too close! I tried to ignore all that and continued, “I just wanted to say that I think your dad is wrong.”

The frown on his face eased up somewhat, and he made no further moves to the doorway, so I continued. “You have been successful. You got seven badges in Hoenn, and seven badges in Kalos. I don’t know anyone who has anywhere near that many badges. Not only that, but you’ve been so supportive of me, Miette, and Lisia in our own journeys. Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to your dad, but we are grateful for your support.”

“I don’t see how…”

“Don’t you?” He shook his head. “Your presence encourages us to be successful. I know you’ve supported me this whole way and…” I paused, hesitant to tell him something so intimate, but he looked at me expectantly. Out with it! “… and I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

“You’re just saying that…”

“No!” I wanted to tell him the whole truth then, the story of Astrid Ichinomiya, the girl who wasn’t allowed to leave home. The girl who finally had the chance to start her journey thanks to one boy’s offer to travel with her. The girl who was so close to qualifying for the Master Class competition. But I didn’t. Instead, I continued, “I’m not.” Then, I realized… “Hey, I have an idea that will help both of us.”

“And what’s that?”

“Promise me something, Ruby.” The boy stared at me, and nodded slowly. “Promise me that if tomorrow I win my third Princess Key, you’ll battle Olympia again and get your eighth badge.”

“I don’t know if I can promise that…”

I reached out my right hand, all the fingers curled into a fist except for my pinky, which stuck out towards him. “Yes you can! I could use some more motivation to win tomorrow.”

“How is that motivation for you?”

“I want to see you in the Pokemon League!” The boy’s eyes lit up, and I knew I had him there. “C’mon! Pinky promise!”

“All right, all right!” he conceded, but his smile betrayed the exasperation he’d tried to fake. Reaching his pinky finger out, we linked fingers and shook on it.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to qualify for the Master Class…”

“… and I’m going to qualify for the Pokemon League!”


	17. What's Most Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star learns how she shines best.

**_What’s Most Important_ ** _  
August_

__

__

“… and now, let the Anistar City Sundial TriPokalon begin!”

“Could they make that name any longer?”

I realized far too late that my quip would receive no response, as both Miette and Lisia sat in the crowd. Sighing, I made my way over to the dressing room to prepare for the first part of the TriPokalon. Man, did it feel lonely not having anyone here with me…

Yawning and stretching, I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes. Perhaps I shouldn’t have trained so hard yesterday, but after the conversation I had with Ruby, I felt compelled to give it my all. And then some.

The girls surrounding me seemed even more ferocious than ever, the hunger in their eyes shining through their made-up faces. Perhaps it was because there were only three more TriPokalon until the Master Class in two weeks.

“Our first competition – identifying berries based on flavor and description!”

“WHAT?!”

The other girls turned to face me, almost glaring me down, but I couldn’t help it. What did that have to do with Pokemon Performance? I mean, at least they weren’t asking me to make Poffle, but…!

“Our Pokemon Connoisseur, Cilan, will identify your Pokemon partner’s favorite flavors and textures.” A young man with lime green hair took the stage next to Pierre. He wore a black suit vest and pants, a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, and a green bowtie completing his… look. Was it a requirement for anyone involved in hosting the TriPokalon to look ridiculous? “Your job then is to identify the berry or berries that it will enjoy the most! You will be judged on time to select the berry, accuracy of your choice, and of course, your Pokemon’s reaction!”

If only Miette were here to give me some kind of crash course in berries. The girl baked her whole life; of course she’d know the berries like the back of her hand! And also of course she was in the audience now, no help to me.

“And now, take the stage, contestants 1, 2, and 3!”

And also also of course, I would be in the first round of this ridiculous competition. Both my competitors smirked confidently. I suppose they judged my incredulity at the type of competition to be weakness. Well… they were right!

I had to choose which Pokemon I’d showcase in this round, and right on the spot too. They didn’t mention anything involving performance, just selecting and feeding a Pokemon a berry. It sounded like a test of bond, and despite the fact that I care about all of my Pokemon, there’s one who I definitely share the strongest bond with.

After the three of us chose our Pokemon, the so-called Pokemon Connoisseur made his way around the stage, a green monkey-like Pokemon attached to his shoulder. Next to me, Margaux, who I recognized from many of my previous Performances, confidently stood behind her Pokemon. Some kind of white canine?

“Your Furfrou looks very well cared for,” Cilan commented. Margaux practically turned into a beet after his comment. I’d never seen someone quite so flustered on the stage before. “I believe a Pokemon like this would like a sweet, soft berry.”

He then moved over to the next girl - Lili, I think - who seemed so stiff with worry that she might fall over. Her Pokemon – a brown and cream fiery feline – stood on a small pedestal to make up for its height.

“Your Litleo looks like it’s a fighter!” Cilan exclaimed, and the monkey Pokemon on his shoulder nodded in agreement. Lili also flushed at the comment, looking away from the green-head. Were his compliments really that great? “I think a Pokemon like that would like a hard, bitter berry.”

Finally, Cilan made his way over to me. Amaura met his glance, the fossil Pokemon trying to seem cool and intimidating. Cilan laughed at the sight of us, and I felt my arm move slightly in his direction. Probably to punch him. “I’ve never seen this Pokemon before! What is its name?”

“Amaura.”

“Right.” He observed said Pokemon longer than he had the other two. “Amaura seems to be a good battler, with a gentle soul underneath.” His assessment… was disturbingly accurate. Amaura too seemed shocked, taking a step back from him. Smiling despite our apprehension, he continued, “I think a Pokemon like that would like a soft berry that contains a good balance of flavors.”

A soft berry that has a good flavor balance? Well, that does it. Good-bye, chances at the Master Class.

Three circular chests appeared in front of Pierre, and his Klefki flew off his staff and released three keys, one for each keyhole. “When Klefki’s keys opens the chest, you are free to begin!”

“Kiiiii!” The keychain Pokemon twisted to the right, and the chests flew open together. Each chest revealed a collection of what had to be at least 15 different berries, each placed artfully on a white plate.

“Hell,” was all I could manage, as Margaux and Lili rushed over to the berries, picking each of them up and sniffing them. Their Pokemon stood next to them, nudging them on. This was ridiculous. They looked like fools… and so would I, in just a moment.

Many berries lay out in front of us, and I felt completely overwhelmed by all of them. What was I supposed to do!?

“Ama…”

I looked over to my partner, who seemed to sense my discomfort. Except, instead of freaking out, it smiled and closed its eyes. The colors disappeared from its rainbow scales… and I realized. Calm Mind. Amaura wanted to help me calm down. Maybe with my eyes closed, I could better identify the right berry.

So I did as it suggested and reached my hands into the chest. I brushed fingers with sharp berries, round berries, but none of them seemed right. Finally, I felt something soft and smooth, and I picked up that berry. It smelled… spicy, sweet, and sour? Just like one of my favorite dishes, sweet and sour chili chicken…

“Am, ama!” Amaura chirped. Perhaps it liked this berry too?

“And, time!”

Well, whether or not Amaura liked this berry best, we’d have to see!

“Now, it’s time to feed your Pokemon the berry you’ve chosen! Give us a show!”

I thought this couldn’t get more ridiculous. But my other competitors did exactly as Pierre commanded, and jumped right into a dance routine with their Pokemon. Amaura couldn’t dance well, but hadn’t I just endured a dance party with several partners who couldn’t either?

Amaura’s scales flashed purple, but I shook my head. Despite the fact that we’d never done a routine like this together, it wouldn’t be a problem for the two of us!

“No time for that! Calm Mind!”

The fossil Pokemon did exactly that, clearing its scales of color and its mind of worries. I tapped out a rhythm on my leg, and Amaura tried its best to follow, despite its natural clumsiness.

“Now, use Frost Breath all around you!”

Amaura released its freezing breath in a circle over the stage floor, making it unnavigable for most, but not for the ice type fossil Pokemon! Feeling right at home in its natural environment, the dinosaur Pokemon chirped a happy, “Ama!” and spun around on the ice.

“Perfect! Keep spinning like that and use Frost Breath in the air!”

Amaura did just that, and the shimmering sparkles took life underneath the stage lights.

“And… here we go!”

I launched the berry into the air, and Amaura grabbed it in its mouth. With a couple delighted bites, it finished the berry. I looked around me and the other two Performers had also fed their berries to their Pokemon.

“Well, Cilan, do we have a winner?”

The teen pulled at his bow tie before stating, “Yes, we do, Monsieur Pierre.” Cilan looked from one of the girls to the next, before settling his eyes on me. “Despite having the most challenging combination of flavors, they pulled it off with aplomb! The winners are Hoshiko and Amaura!”

A blur of powder blue flashed across the stage and right into my arms. We’d made it! 

\--

“HOSHIKO!”

I whirled around to meet Ruby, his face flushed as he steadied himself with his hands on his knees. 

“Uh… are you okay?”

He nodded, still trying to catch his breath.

“Where are Lisia and Miette?”

He stood more quickly than I thought he was capable of at the moment, peering behind him. “You mean they’re not with me?”

“Why would I be asking if—”

“Ruuu-byyy…” came a pathetic whine. Ruby turned to where the voice came from, mouth agape, as he took in the sight of an exhausted Lisia.

“Ack!” he gulped, his eyes wide. “Sorry, Lis!”

“It’s… fine…” she managed, trudging our way. “You’re just more excited by seeing Hoshi than I am, I guess.”

Ruby looked away from both of us at that, his face just out of our views. Miette, who had finally caught up, stifled a gasping laugh behind her hand.

“What’s so funny!?” Lisia snapped, obviously annoyed at being left out of the joke.

Miette simply shook her head and kept giggling. Why wouldn’t she explain? I’m in the dark too here, you know! Some friend.

“Anyway,” Ruby began, his gaze once again on me, just above my eyes. “We thought you might be lonely between the first and second round and could use some company back here.”

The two ladies affirmed his words with a nod and at that, I felt something bubble up in my chest.

“Thanks, you guys,” I said, the bubbles coming forth through my words and my mouth. “I appreciate it, really.”

Miette shrugged, as if refusing my thanks. “Ruby said he wanted to come down here and see you, so thank him.”

“I…!” Ruby flushed at her words, glaring at the girl. “It was your suggestion!”

Lisia frowned. “There’s no reason to get so worked up, Ruby…”

“I’m not worked up!”

I felt myself giggle, and all eyes were on me. “Sorry, this is just such a ridiculous conversation…” I managed through my giggles. “Whoever’s idea it was, thank you.”

Ruby relaxed slightly, and the three of them took a seat on a nearby couch. I sat in a loveseat across from them, Amaura curling up right next to me and closing its eyes. Finally, the conversation shifted towards my performance.

“Your routine with Amaura was great!” Lisia chirped.

“I was worried when Pierre said there would be a performance round in there, but you both did really well,” Miette added.

“Yeah… that was Amaura’s first performance, wasn’t it?” Ruby asked.

“Um, I mean, the first where it was the main performer, I suppose,” I replied. Of course Amaura had been in other TriPokalon, but usually as support. Because of its size and build, Amaura wasn’t much good at following routines. “It helped that during Pierre’s dance party, I only had awful dance partners.”

“Aww, they weren’t all bad,” Lisia drawled, tapping one finger to her chin. “Hmm, you danced with Bonnie—”

“Cute, but couldn’t dance,” I recalled.

“—that one guy with the yellow suit—”

“Troy. He was only okay.”

“—then that guy with the really blue eyes and dark, dark black hair—”

“Stephen wanted to be there as much as I did, which is to say, not at all.”

“—and Ash, right?”

Miette choked out a laugh. “He was truly awful!”

“But pretty funny,” I recalled. “Did he try that one dance move with you Miette?”

“Which one? The HM03?” she asked, then demonstrated by holding her arms parallel to the ground and wiggling them around.

“No! He did that?”

“Yes! What were you talking about?”

“When he went like this—” I stood up, and kicked my legs out one at a time, letting them wiggle slightly before putting them back on the ground, “—and called it the Hitmonlee!”

Lisia burst out laughing, and Miette’s eyes teared up at the sides. “Oh my god, I would have left him right there if he’d done that to me!” Miette managed. Even Ruby cracked a smile at that.

“Now, Performers!”

We all snapped our attentions to Monsieur Pierre, who strode into the room with his arms held wide. “Prepare for round two! You will need to need to dress up your Pokemon… and then prepare for battle!”

“What?! How are they supposed to battle with accessories on?” Lisia whined.

“Good thing we don’t have to worry about that,” Miette somewhat answered, standing. “Good luck Hosh!”

“Wh… wha…” I muttered, crossing my arms. Lisia left with Miette and Ruby, leaving me with my thoughts. What helpful friends they are…

With that thought, I made it over to one of the changing booths, Pokeball in hand.

“Spritzee, let’s give it our all!”

“Sprit…zee?” the fay Pokemon asked, its eyes wide.

“I know, I know,” I replied dismissively. We were stuck in a booth, surrounded on all sides by different accouterments. The ribbons, puffs, tulle, and other strange decorations baffled it as much as they baffled me. “We’ve gotta make you cute, or cool, or something…”

I’d chosen the fairy Pokemon, as I couldn’t imagine any of my other Pokemon faring too well decorated and battling. Torkoal and Amaura had the same issue of being too clumsy to battle, or even move with decorations; Breloom was out since it would probably forget what it was wearing and tear everything to bits in battle; and Zoe was so close to the ground that she’d probably trip on anything she wore. At least Spritzee wouldn’t trip on its decorations, and its attacks were too gentle to completely destroy everything.

“Okay, what am I even supposed to do here?”

I wished I could hear Miette’s knowledgeable words, or even Lisia’s chirpy encouragement, but all I got in return was a simple, “Sprit?”

“Well, at least we’re clueless together.”

“Zee!”

I thought back to what I had seen other contestants do in the past. All that came up in my mind was Serena’s appeal at the Coumarine City TriPokalon, when Fennekin had tripped over her own ribbon and cost Serena the contest. I couldn’t get that image out of my head… the look on Fennekin’s face when it realized that it had tripped, the look on Serena’s face when she realized her first TriPokalon was over just like that…

“Sprit, zee, spriiii!” Spritzee exclaimed, tackling me.

“Right, head in the game…”

I thought about my bond with Spritzee. We’d been through some weird stuff together, despite only having known each other two months. The first Pokemon I’d caught on this journey, after it chased me down through the woods. Then it saved my life during the Parfum Palace TriPokalon. It’s been such a trustworthy partner, and I know I wouldn’t have made it to two Princess Keys without Sprizee’s support!

“Sprit… zee…!” it growled, charging towards me again.

“No, no, I’m fine now,” I assured it, and it deflated from its overly puffy state.

I went at the materials then, wanting to give it a woodsy sprite sort of look to match how we met and how it’s saved me through what could only be magic. Spritzee seemed to approve as I added twigs, puffs, and leaves to its outfit. I even made it a little masquerade style mask out of leaves.

“Thirty seconds!” came Pierre’s voice, a little tinny through the speaker next to me.

“Well, I guess that it…”

And then I saw it. 

Spritzee nodded solemnly when it saw what I looked at, seeming to agree that that item should be the final touch. A long piece of black tulle, with a fitted band near the top. I slipped the skirt over the Pokemon’s body, leaving it right at its midsection. The skirt extended several feet from where Spritzee floated, dusting the ground lightly. 

Its look transformed instantly from woodsy to spritely.

“And… time!”

\--

There had been three rounds before mine, and my opponent and I were the last battle. Spritzee took the time to practice its moves while all dressed up. I’d watched the screens and seen several disasters: a Pokemon tripping in the middle of the battle, ruining its outfit, ending the round immediately and a fire-type completely burning its outfit up, just to name a couple. Whoever came up with this idea is clearly some kind of sadist…

“Sprit sprit,” Spritzee said, drawing my attention to the screen.

“Now, it’s time for the final battle! Contestant number 3 - Hoshiko - versus contestant number 5 - Adelaide!”

I faced off against a girl who looked barely 10, all made up with frills, puffs, and bows. She seemed anxious, her nervous energy coming off of her in waves. Her Pokemon, a large purple dog-like Pokemon with prominent fangs, matched her outfit and attitude to a tee. The Pokemon snarled, and I immediately wanted to retreat to the backstage. What was that Pokemon called, Snubbull? Wait, no, that Pokemon was much smaller, right?

“Wow!” Pierre exclaimed, cutting my thoughts off. “We have a Granbull just as marvelous as her trainer!” And then he faced me. “And a Spritzee that embodies the concept of an earth sprite perfectly! Gorgeous!”

Thankfully, Pierre tended to be pretty perceptive when it came to trainers’ intentions, and this time was no exception. Spritzee did a little twirl to show off its outfit, and the crowd’s volume increased around us.

“Prepare for one final stunning battle! Whoever wins this matchup will go onto the final round!” Pierre announced, holding his arms wide. He pointed his staff from Spritzee and I to Adelaide and Granbull before finally shouting, “Battle start!”

“Focus Blast!” Adelaide shrieked, wasting no time at all.

Granbull held its arms out in front of its body, readying a sphere of intense energy. Wouldn’t such a powerful attack ruin its outfit? Or Spritzee’s, even? That long tulle skirt wouldn’t stand a chance against Granbull’s attack if it were to connect in the slightest, and if the previous battles were any clue, a damaged outfit was the same as losing the battle entirely!

“Spritzee, Double Team!”

The fay Pokemon managed to create seven clones of itself, and the eight decorated Spritzees flew across the field in different directions.

“Put off a little Fairy Wind for some style!” I added quickly, not wanting to waste this moment.

The eight copies all let loose a tiny sparkling wind behind them, glittering the entire field below. The crowd gasped, and some people shouted and yelled around us.

“You think you’re so great!” Adelaide spat, and I fought hard not to shrink into a ball. Somehow, the girl was terrifying. “Granbull, use Outrage!”

“WHAT?” 

I couldn’t help my shout. I mean, since when can Granbull use an attack like that!? The crowd seemed just as stunned, as an uncomfortable silence took over the entire room. Granbull glowed with a blue light, then released waves of energy from its body. Something seemed… off about the entire thing.

_“Fairy is super effective against dragon, but dragons can’t touch fairies at all.”_

Lisia’s lecturing voice rang in my head, as I remembered a conversation I’d had with her after a previous TriPokalon where we’d battled together. Her dragon and flying type Ali had been matched against a fairy type, Floette, and I hadn’t been able to understand her concern at all.

“Dragon doesn’t affect fairy, huh…” I mumbled to myself. And then it hit me, why this all seemed so strange: why would Adelaide have Granbull use Outrage, a well-known dragon-type move (even I knew it), against my fairy type Spritzee? It wouldn’t do any damage, but it would certainly cause a lot of destruction.

… wait, she couldn’t be trying to mess up Spritzee’s outfit, could she…? 

“Spritzee…” How could I counter an attack like this? I had to protect Spritzee’s outfit! … I can’t believe there exists a situation where that thought actually makes sense. And that situation is my life at the present moment.

Attempting to rid myself of outside thoughts for now, I then remembered another previous TriPokalon, where flames threatened to consume me and Spritzee saved my life with a move that according to Ruby, it shouldn’t know at all… “Aromatic Mist!”

The eight copies shot out a thick, pink mist all aimed towards where Granbull stood. The Outrage waves were cancelled out by the mist, and Adelaide stomped her foot in unbridled fury.

“Grr…” Was that Granbull or her trainer? “You big meanie! You ruined my plan!”

… big meanie…?

“Oh well, I have a new one! Granbull, use Hyper Beam all around the stage!”

I caught a glimpse of Pierre’s expression, his face turned down in a slight frown. For someone who was paid to be neutral showing his distaste so plainly on his face… clearly I wasn’t the only one who thought something was really amiss here. Even as the Rough and Tumble Coordinator, I knew there was a way to go about it, not just launching powerful attacks indiscriminately and hoping for the best.

Spritzees flew across the stage, the long tulle skirts flowing about. I had to keep the Hyper Beam from hitting the skirts at all costs…!

“Fly around in a circle, Spritzees!”

The clones starting flying in a huge circle above us, sparkles from the previous Fairy Wind shaking loose and dusting the field. The sparkles along with the black tulle reminded me of the night sky dotted by glittering stars. I could only hope that this next move would both protect Spritzee and finally do some damage.

“Now, use Moonblast!”

The moon appeared between the stars, and Spritzee’s attack scored a direct hit, causing the dog Pokemon to fall backwards. Its Hyper Beam, however, was not stopped and tore right through the air towards Spritzee!

“Get out of the way!”

Spritzee tried its hardest to dodge, but unfortunately the out of control Hyper Beam hit its mark directly. I almost looked away, afraid to assess the damage, but thankfully I continued to look on, as its mark then disappeared. A shadow copy!

“No!” Adelaide snarled, her hands on her hips. “Hurry up and recover, Granbull!”

Right, Hyper Beam caused its user to recharge on the next turn, which was our perfect opening! “Spritzee, charge in quickly and use Fairy Wind!”

The seven remaining Spritzees charged forth and let loose a full-powered glittering onslaught. Granbull, fixed to the floor, took the attacks head on. One of its puffs fell loose, but other than that its outfit remained intact.

Would it be greedy to try another attack? “Spritzee, now, Moonblast!”

The smirk on Adelaide’s face grew until it took over the bottom half of her face. “Wait for it, Granbull…”

“Spritzee, no—”

It was too late to call off the attack, which scored a direct hit. Granbull then hopped to its feet, grabbing one of the Spritzee’s by the skirt.

“Payback!”

The other Spritzee copies disappeared as Granbull scored a direct on the one caught in its hand, the true copy. Spritzee collapsed to the stage floor, struggling to take flight again.

I couldn’t believe it. Even though I’d done everything I could think of to prevent Spritzee’s outfit from hindering it in battle, I hadn’t even thought that the skirt would present a problem. But now Granbull held it mercilessly, barking so jovially it almost sounded like a laugh.

“Spritzee… I’m so sorry…” I choked. Would this be the end of my TriPokalon dreams? Would this strangely aggressive 10-year-old take my place in the Master Class?

A voice snapped me out of my downwards spiral. It was so quiet that for a minute I thought I’d imagined it.

“GIVE IT YOUR ALL, HOSHIKO!”

Wait, not just a voice… three voices. I turned to where the voices originated and saw three people standing. I couldn’t make out any identifying features, but I didn’t need to. Three people shouting my supposed catchphrase at me… there could be no others.

“Right… we haven’t given it our all, Spritzee!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pierre breathe out heavily, a sigh of relief perhaps.

“Hah! What nonsense! Granbull’s got you at the ropes, girl!” Adelaide taunted, her hands firmly on her hips.

“You’re right,” I replied, and she seemed surprised that I’d agreed. But I wasn’t about to leave it at that. “But I don’t give up ‘til I’ve given it my all, and as long as Spritzee and I have some fight left, we haven’t given it our all!”

“That’s silly,” the girl said. “Granbull, let’s shut them up with Sludge Bomb!”

“Counter with Fairy Wind!”

Spritzee let out a cry as it released its glittering attack… which didn’t glitter at all. Or release, for that matter.

“No!”

Granbull spat a toxic-looking sludge from its mouth at Spritzee, and at a range like that, it would never be able to withstand the attack—

“Sprit…zee!”

That wasn’t a pained cry, I realized, but then what was it? My eyes drew to the aroma Pokemon, which had cloaked itself in blue light.

“What are you—?”

“Granbull, what are you doing! Finish it off, already!”

That’s when I realized that the Sludge Bomb had never hit its mark, and instead sat suspended in the air between the two Pokemon, glowing with the same blue light. Had Spritzee done that?

“Granbull, gran!” the bulldog Pokemon replied, straining harder. The Sludge Bomb moved slightly, but it seemed trapped by the blue light. Was Spritzee using a new attack? And how come Granbull couldn’t use its own attack?

“Spritzee… are you controlling the Sludge Bomb?” I asked it. It nodded in response, and my heart thrilled in my chest. We were in control of this battle now! “Launch it right back at Granbull!”

The poisonous gunk scored a direct hit, and Granbull collapsed to the floor, completely spent. Spritzee flew free, dancing around in the air, its skirt flowing perfectly behind.

“Granbull is unable to battle! Spritzee is the winner! Congratulations to our fourth finalist, Hoshiko!” Pierre announced, seeming entirely too relieved.

Spritzee flew back into my arms, nuzzling me in relief.

“I know, we did it! It’s all thanks to you!”

\--

By the time I made it backstage, I only had the energy to collapse pathetically into one of the sofas. Two rounds was long enough, but we had to endure a third round in order to get the Princess Key. It wasn’t long before I heard familiar voices, and Miette, Ruby, and Lisia all situated themselves around me.

“It’s a good thing that Spritzee learned Psychic when it did,” Miette said. Both Ruby and Lisia nodded in agreement.

“Ah, so that’s what that was?” Miette’s mouth dropped, Lisia shook her head, and Ruby smacked himself in the face. “… what?” I snapped, annoyed.

“Only you, Hosh, only you,” Miette replied simply.

“Whatever,” I ground. Why did they always have to make fun of me when I didn’t know something? “At least I made it to the final round.”

“I can’t believe there’s a third round! I’ve never heard of that before, in Contests or TriPokalon!” Lisia exclaimed.

“You must be exhausted,” Ruby added, concern etched onto his face.

I couldn’t stand it when Ruby gave me that look. Despite the fact that it took most of my energy to shake my head, I did it anyway, in the hopes that I’d be able to get him to look normal again. “Nope, I’m great!”

“Right, and the final round of a TriPokalon is always the most intense,” Lisia noted, continuing as if I hadn’t said anything at all.

“It’s too bad that you can’t clone yourself or something,” Miette joked.

“Yeah, I know. Clone me could go out there and do the third round while I take a nap.” I sighed. I knew she was clearly joking, but for some reason the girl’s words stuck with me. If only I could duplicate myself, this third round would be so much easier.

And then it hit me. There _was_ a way I could duplicate myself!

While the three chattered on beside me, I hatched and cooked my plan for the appeals round. They didn’t seem to notice my absence from the conversation, and I was glad, as I wanted to take the entire crowd by surprise, including them!

“Hosh… earth to Hosh…”

Miette’s annoyed grumble brought me back to reality, and I sat up with new energy to face them. “Yeah?”

“The appeals round is about to start, so we’re heading back to our seats,” she explained.

“Oh, right. Thanks for the help!” I replied without thinking, bolting from my seat.

“What help?” I barely heard Miette ask, as I rushed into the preparation area. She’d see soon enough!

\--

“Now, contestant number 3, Hoshiko Gateaux! Take the stage!”

It felt weird to hang back in the stage wings, but that I did, despite Pierre calling my name. Instead, someone else took the stage for me, but no one noticed anything amiss. After all, how could they; that certainly looked like me on the stage!

Voicelessly, the girl who looked so much like me started spinning on one foot, and Torkoal and Amaura danced around. With hand gestures and various nods, Torkoal knew to use Fire Spin towards the girl. The girl jumped up, barely avoiding the attack, and Amaura used Ancient Power below her, pushing her towards the ceiling. The Fire Spin swirled around behind her, seeming to chase her, but disappearing once the Ancient Power column brought her high enough. She held her arms up in what Lisia told me was called the high fifth position, looking straight into the stage lights. 

… is this what it looked like when I performed? The flames rising in the air, weakening to glowing embers, the stage lights catching every bit of fire and amplifying its glow, the glow surrounding the figure that looked just like me… I almost zoned too far off, and would have missed my cue if it wasn’t for the crowd’s collective gasp. The girl stood on one hand, precariously balancing atop the stone column. Torkoal and Amaura launched attacks to the center of the stage, Overheat meeting Frost Breath creating a thick steam that covered the entire arena. As the steam started to clear slightly, I finally took my cue.

“Dark Pulse!” I shouted as loudly as I could, rushing onto the stage through the mist and crouching right in front of the Ancient Power column. In the same beat, Zoe disappeared into the darkness, my form replaced by her own. The crowd roared in confusion and shock at my disappearing act.

“Wha… huh…” I heard Pierre mumble through his mic.

“Torkoal, Rapid Spin up to the top of the column! Zoe, use Foul Play!”

Zoe struck Torkoal with a deceptively powerful paw and forced it back in my direction, Torkoal’s spin now twice as fast and powerful.

“Overheat!”

The tortoise Pokemon released white-hot flames from its arm and leg holes, and the flame surrounded it almost like a frisbee of fire. I could feel the warmth on my skin, the heat causing the hair on my arms to rise up.

“Am, ama!” Amaura chirped nervously, making its way to me.

“There’s no need to worry,” I replied. “We’ve got a new move up our sleeve, right?”

“Ama…” Amaura muttered in response, seeming nervous.

Amaura had learned a new move in its training just a couple days prior, but whether or not it would be able to pull it off during the contest… well, I certainly had faith!

“Amaura, come closer!”

The fossil Pokemon closed our distance, and I hugged it tightly. Hopefully this would work… otherwise, well, it would certainly hurt.

Ruby’s voice echoed in my mind, _“You’d better not do something that lands you back in the hospital!”_ We had been discussing the upcoming TriPokalon when I was in the hospital, just after I’d been discharged. I’d made fun when he said that to me, but perhaps there was a point to his concern—

“Ama!” Amaura called, returning me to the present moment.

“Light Screen!” I commanded without missing a beat.

Amaura called to the heavens and with that, a force field made of various glowing hexagons surrounded us. Torkoal’s fire reached through the force field, and the flames turned from a roaring white hot into a soft orange glow. I stood fully, embracing the leftover fire. It had been weakened to the point that it tickled, and I unintentionally let out a loud giggle. I felt a little too relieved… perhaps deep down, I had been worried it wouldn’t work and I’d have Ruby scolding me in the hospital again.

The tortoise Pokemon ended its spin with a flourish, and landed gently next to me. It was time for the finale, the last move to have the crowd remember us by! A new move… the last of the new tricks up my sleeve…!

“Zoe, get down here!”

The fox Pokemon jumped gracefully from the Ancient Power tower, running down its length. She landed right behind Amaura, who stood facing the back of the stage. Despite the fact that both knew what was to come, neither seemed shaken in the least. I couldn’t believe it, how much my Pokemon had come to trust me despite my sometimes reckless strategies!

“Amaura, get ready for Light Screen! Zoe, use Dark Pulse! And Torkoal…”

The tortoise Pokemon perked up at the mention of its name, nodding determinedly in my direction. It knew that it was time!

“… Fire Blast!”

Torkoal fired a fiery, star shaped blast at us. I could hear the crowd gasp collectively, then silence, as the Fire Blast passed through the Light Screen and weakened to nothing but embers. Zoe’s Dark Pulse emanated from her across the stage, creeping up the Light Screen wall Amaura had set. The mysterious darkness and the steadily glowing light combined to create what looked like stars in the night sky.

The crowd roared, and I could hear nothing else.

\--

“Look! She’s over there!”

My favorite trio burst at me, grabbing me in a giant group hug.

“Guys, guys!” I borderline snapped, and the three backed up. Each looked worried that they’d upset me, so I made sure to grin before my next words. “Check it out!”

I held out the key in my outstretched hand, the brass sparkling under the backstage lights. My third Princess Key.

“You won by a landslide,” Lisia chirped, bobbing on her feet.

“Stop exaggerating!”

“She isn’t,” Miette reinforced. “No one else came close.”

Though Lisia had the propensity to exaggerate, Miette always told it like it was. So I took it.

“All those new moves, though, how’d you pull that off?”

Ruby’s eyes drilled into mine, and I giggled out of sheer nervousness. Since when was he so intense? “Uh, well, after we talked the other night, I…”

“What other night?” Lisia interjected, her cyan eyes wide. Before either Ruby or I could answer, Lisia yelped, “Hey, Miette, why are you—” Miette had grabbed Lisia’s hand and dragged her away. Did she know that I hadn't wanted Lisia to know about that moment with Ruby? Even _I_ hadn't realized that! Well, at any rate, Miette certainly had great timing. With the two of them gone, Ruby seemed much more willing to continue. 

“Two nights ago?”

“Yes,” I affirmed. “I told you that if I won my TriPokalon, you’d have to win your eighth gym badge. So I got to training yesterday. We trained all day, and both Amaura and Torkoal learned new moves. I didn’t realize Spritzee had leveled up too until today.”

“Why…”

“I told you already, Ruby.” The boy’s eyes had softened, but they continued to hold my gaze as I continued, “I want to see you in the Pokemon League.” Ruby turned bright red and turned away, clearly uncomfortable. Oh no, I had said something kind of weird, hadn’t I? “And, I-I mean, of course I want to qualify for the Master Class, so…”

“Of course,” Ruby replied. His flush didn’t go away, but at least he smiled.

“I trained because I wanted to win. But I trained as hard as I did because I want you to win, too.”

“Hoshiko…” he borderline whispered, the smile on his face growing softer. His right hand reached out to my left arm, and clasped it gently. He had his head cocked to the side, lips parted slightly, as if there was something he just needed to say—

“Hoshiko!”

My head snapped up towards the sound of the new voice, and Pierre stood in the doorway leading to the stage stairs. Miette and Lisia had apparently disappeared off to somewhere, leaving only the three of us in the backstage area.

“P-Pierre!” I startled, jumping back from Ruby’s hold on my arm.

The young man strode across the floor, closing our distance with just a few long strides. He seemed to ignore Ruby’s presence, and the boy scowled behind him. Well, as best as I could see, as Pierre easily had half a foot on him.

“That performance… tres bien! How wonderful!” he announced, grinning. The lights caught his teeth, and they sparkled.

“Oh, uh… thanks,” I muttered, my cheeks growing warm at his praise.

“Hey.”

Pierre’s eyes and mouth widened as he heard a voice that wasn’t mine from behind him. He turned to face Ruby, apparently noticing him for the first time. “Ah, and you are—?”

“Hoshiko and I were having a conversation,” Ruby snapped, his normally cool slate eyes shining a brilliant silver.

“Ah, well, continue your conversation. Don’t mind me here.”

The scowl reappeared on Ruby’s face. He looked from Pierre, to me, to Pierre again, then cried, “Forget it! I’ll see you later, Hoshiko,” and stomped off.

“Well, that was a good conversation,” Pierre commented. Though his tone normally seemed genuine, something syrupy thick coated his words. I could only find it in myself to shrug in reply, and he continued, “So, what are you doing this evening? The night is beautiful, is it not?”

It was. The breeze blew around us, and the summer night was just warm enough. My dress skirt ruffed ever so slightly in the breeze, and something about the moment seemed perfect. Except for that vision in my mind of Ruby’s scowling face…

Shaking my head to rid it of the image, I replied, “Nothing yet. Did you have something in mind… for us?” 

Pierre’s soft smile returned to his lips. I must have given him the answer he was looking for. “There is a café right by here that offers a magnificent view of the sundial at night. We can meet there in an hour?”

A café, huh. I didn’t really want to drink coffee. … but why? I love a good latte!

“That sounds great,” I said instead, unsure of the thoughts going on inside my head. Pierre’s soft smile broadened into a full-on grin as he strode out of the backstage area. 

I didn’t get it. In the same conversation, I’d angered Ruby and pleased Pierre. What even just happened? Maybe it’s a guy thing. I really don’t understand men, apparently.

With that thought, I returned to the hotel room to meet with my friends. Perhaps they’d have some additional insights for me on this whole situation…

\--

“Wait, wait. Go back. What did Pierre say before Ruby got all stomp-y?”

“And Pierre asked you out again!?”

I have no idea why I thought this would be a good idea.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter,” I replied, sighing. Miette and Lisia both huffed, the former crossing her arms in front of me while the latter started scrolling PokeGram. Ruby conveniently had more training to do, so he wasn’t around to witness… this.

“If you say so, Hosh,” Miette said, her eyes darting around the room. Then, she added, “At least let me help you get ready for this date.”

“Yeah!” Lisia chirped, looking up slightly from her PokeGear.

“Fine.”

Miette and Lisia busied themselves with choosing my outfit and preparing my hair. I didn’t really care much for what they picked for me, so I slipped it on without comment. Finally, I stood in front of the mirror, the two of them flanking each of my sides.

“Looks good!”

I peeked hesitantly at my reflection, which seemed to be me but dressed in a pale pink bodycon dress and puffy white sleeves. I wouldn’t ever wear pink, especially not outside. Or anything so constricting, for that matter.

“Whose—”

“It’s mine~” Lisia sang, bobbing up and down on her toes. “I thought I could use it when performing with Mari!”

That made perfect sense. I certainly looked much more like a Flaaffy than normal. I tugged at the large white bow that now sat at my chest, and Miette grabbed my restless hands in hers. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I know,” I murmured, hesitating to meet Miette’s eyes. “But I don’t want to disappoint Pierre. I hate the ways he looks when I do.”

“That’s not…” Miette trailed off, then shook her head. “You’ll figure out the best thing to do, Hosh.”

“What does that mean?”

But before Miette could say anything, Lisia chirped, “And your hair’s ready, Hoshi!”

Somehow, Lisia had managed to create a braid that wrapped around my head like a crown. The rest of my dark hair bunched up at the bottom in a neatly done bun, the braid almost obscuring it completely from view.

“Wow! I didn’t know you could look so cute!” Miette gasped.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment…?”

Lisia gave me a thumbs up then shoved me in the general direction of the door. “You’d better hurry! You’re already late!”

“WHAT?!”

And with that, I rushed out the door towards the café.

\--

Pierre sat at a table, looking over the water towards the horizon. He’d traded in his signature glowing trenchcoat for a black one, and I couldn’t see what he had on underneath that, but it was sure to be dapper knowing him.

“Hey, Pierre.”

The blonde snapped to attention, turning to find me. He smiled as he did, standing and pulling out a chair for me. “Hoshiko. Lovely as always.”

“Um, thanks.”

We sat in silence for a moment, until Pierre broke it. “Since it seemed you were running late, I already ordered for you. A hazelnut latte is your usual, right?”

Almost. Sugar free hazelnut, double-shot latte. I didn’t say that, though, as it couldn’t be easy to remember such a long order. So instead, I said, “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Excellent.” Pierre revealed pearly whites, then continued, “Your performance today was utterly fascinating. How you had Zorua transform into you… I have never seen such a thing before!”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly an original idea,” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. I’d gotten it from Miette. Well, and Ruby, from when he and Zoe carried me to the hospital.

“Original performance, at any rate,” Pierre countered, and I couldn’t argue with that.

The drinks came, and Pierre gestured over towards the horizon. “There are many waterfront views in Kalos. But in all my travels, I have not encountered one as glorious as the one by the Anistar Sundial.”

I followed his arm out to over the water. The fuchsia crystal structure glittered under the last sunbeams of the day, and the color reflected in the water below. The water seemed to stretch on forever underneath a purple and orange sky.

“It really is beautiful,” I said.

Pierre and I chatted about the competition, and the upcoming Master Class, which he wouldn’t reveal anything about to me. _It’s in Gloire City, and that’s all I’m authorized to say, even to you mon Astrette._ He told me about his plans after the TriPokalon season was over. _I think I’ll return home for a bit, figure out what my next steps will be. I might sign on for another season of TriPokalon, or maybe I’ll travel to Sinnoh or Hoenn next and announce for Pokemon Contests._

“What will you do next, Hoshiko?” he then asked.

I flustered. What _would_ I do next? Unless I won the Master Class and became the Kalos Queen, I would have to move on to the next big thing. The ribbons in my room at home flashed in my mind, and then I realized that there could be no other answer.

“If I don’t win the Master Class, I’ll return to Hoenn and aim for the Grand Festival.”

Pierre’s eyes lighted, and he smiled. “That’s the most passionate I’ve ever heard you. Sounds like an important goal of yours.”

Most passionate he’d ever heard me, huh? Well, it was the most passionate I’d felt in a while, too. Not that I didn’t enjoy TriPokalon – I did! But my original dream to become a Top Coordinator still burned on in my mind, and already being almost halfway there certainly didn’t help to quell those flames.

“I was a Coordinator before I was ever a Performer,” I said.

“Can I see that?”

“… what?”

“I’d like to see one of your Coordinator routines,” Pierre clarified. “Contests are different from TriPokalon, are they not?” I nodded. “If I’m going to MC Pokemon Contests, I should know what they are about, non?”

Pretty good point… but in front of all these people who were just trying to go about their evening? “I don’t know, Pierre…”

“Why not? Give it a whirl!”

His enthusiasm unfortunately won out over my apprehension, and with a large drag from my too-sweet hazelnut latte, I stood up. “Fine!” Running over towards the Sundial, I shouted, “Let’s show ‘em, Amaura and Breloom!”

The fossil Pokemon and the mushroom Pokemon popped out of their Pokeballs, slightly confused.

“We’re gonna show these Kalosians how to perform, Hoenn style!”

“Breloom, breh!” Breloom exclaimed, smilling and jumping.

Amaura seemed more reserved, but it smiled its approval as well.

“Great! Breloom, use Bullet Seed! Amaura, Frost Breath on the seeds!”

Breloom launched forth a flurry of glowing green seeds, and Amaura froze them with its cool breath. The seeds transformed from a fiery green to a frigid blue and almost stopped in midair.

“Mach Punch, Breloom!”

Breloom launched forth with one powerful leg, slamming its fist into the frozen seeds. The mass continued forward with that push. Motioning Amaura to move in behind the seeds, I called, “Now Amaura, Ancient Power on the seeds!”

“A…ma!” Amaura called towards the sky, and a large rocky column slammed through the ground into the frozen seeds. The seeds exploded into sparkles, which surrounded the column.

I heard a roar around me, which snapped me out of my thoughts. A large crowd had gathered around us, and people watched on in awe. So even Kalosians could appreciate a Hoenner’s performance!

“Breloom, use Leech Seed on the column! And Amaura, freeze it with Frost Breath!”

Breloom’s Leech Seed landed at the base of the column, and vines burst forth from the seed, entwining around the rocks. Amaura waited for the vines to finish climbing the statue before freezing them, making the vines seem like veins of ice.

“Now, Breloom! Sky Uppercut!”

The mushroom Pokemon charged forth again, this time crouching low as it approached the rocky column. With a loud wail, it slammed its glowing claw into the base of the column and launched itself into the air. It cut through the rocks completely, cutting the column in half and causing bits of rock and ice to glimmer through the air around it. It landed effortlessly in front of Amaura, and both Pokemon bowed.

“Finished!” I cried, out of habit, and the audience that had gathered around us roared in contentment. My knees wobbled below me, and I felt the rest of the day catch up with me in that moment. I started huffing and fell to my knees, Breloom diving under me to catch me.

“Breh, breloom!” it seemed to scold.

“I’m fine,” I replied. 

Breloom shrugged in response. Then, the mushroom Pokemon suddenly jumped up and spun around. “Breh! Loom!” it gasped, and I followed its line of sight.

Amaura barely stood on shaking legs, its eyes glazed over and scales a dull gray. I worried for a moment; it looked just as it did before it rampaged. And we hadn’t used Calm Mind to start! It took in wracked breaths, and seemed as if it would collapse at any moment…! I recalled Breloom, then burst to my feet in a single motion.

“Amaura!” I shouted, running towards the fossil Pokemon. The audience around us thinned at this point, no one seeming to care about the aftermath of the demonstration. I grabbed the fossil Pokemon, securing it in case it lost control. As it rested in my arms, Amaura began to glow a light blue. Was this some kind of recovery move? The light continued to envelop it, until the entirety of its body shone.

As the last rays of sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Amaura’s glow, now a white light instead of the icy blue it had been originally, lit the plaza around the Anistar Sundial. The entire crowd had disappeared by this point, and it felt as though only Amaura and I were there. The glow grew larger still, enveloping us both, and blinded by white light I could only go by what I heard.

“Auuuuura!” a voice called. One that sounded somewhat familiar…

The light faded, and finally I could see again. Amaura no longer lay in my arms, and I stood up frantically searching for the Pokemon.

“Amaura! Where’d you go?”

“Hoshiko…” I heard Pierre start from what seemed like miles away.

“What!?” I snapped. Couldn’t he see that I had a missing Pokemon to find?

“Hoshiko, Amaura is right in front of you,” he said, his mouth slightly agape.

I looked right in front of me as he said, and though his words weren’t quite true, I realized what he meant. Amaura was not right in front of me. Instead, a much larger Pokemon stood across from me, one which would have dwarfed Amaura. Instead of tiny eye sails, this Pokemon had large, flowing fins shining rainbow on each side of its head. And instead of a powder blue body, this Pokemon stood proudly in a rich sapphire blue.

“Amaura… it’s you, isn’t it?”

“Auro!” the Pokemon replied, nodding its agreement.

“You… you evolved!” I gasped, running up to hug the Pokemon. I was so used to standing above Amaura, and holding it in my arms, but now I barely came up to its neck. I wrapped my arms around it, and the fossil Pokemon nuzzled me in return.

Everything and everyone else faded from around me, and I only took in my newly evolved Pokemon. Finally, after four years of training and battling together, of going through what we had in school and on our journey, my first and best partner evolved. It had to mean something, though I didn’t know what.

The night ended and somehow I ended up back at the hotel. I couldn’t remember anything else about the night, anything that Pierre had said or done, but he seemed troubled when we parted. I knew that there would be no fourth date, or anything following that. And I didn’t want there to be. As at that moment, I realized: the most important things to me right now are my Pokemon and their growth. We were so close to the Master Class, so close to becoming Kalos Queen…!


	18. Give it Your All!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star gives it... well, you know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had Hosh's final TriPokalon competition envisioned from the beginning, pretty much. So thrilled to finally share my favorite chapter with all of you!

**_Give it Your All!_ ** _  
September_

It had been two weeks since the last time I saw Miette, Ruby, and Lisia.

 _“Whaaat!?”_ Lisia had shrieked when I told them.

 _“I’d like to travel on my own for a bit,”_ I repeated sternly. _“Until the Master Class,”_ I added.

 _“But why, Hosh?”_ Miette asked sadly, and I almost took back what I’d said.

_“I just… I want to focus on me and my Pokemon, for now.”_

After the incident with Amaura – Aurorus – at the Sundial, I’d realized that in order to prioritize my Pokemon and myself, I needed to separate from the group. I didn’t want to, but at the same time, I knew I could be so much stronger if I focused on our training.

Though Miette and Lisia begged for me to stay, Ruby didn’t say a word to that effect.

 _“Let her do what she wants,”_ he said simply.

The solemnity of his words got the two to stop whining at me, and finally they acquiesced. 

_“Okay, but make sure you call me the minute you make it to Gloire City, you hear Hosh?”_

I smiled for the first time that day. Miette would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t. _“Of course. I’ll see you all for the Master Class!”_

And now, here we were, on the eve of the most important competition of my career thus far. As promised, when I made it into the Gloire City limits, I called Miette.

“Hoshi!” a high-pitched voice and single sapphire eye answered. The owner of the eye pulled the HoloCaster away, revealing a shock of aquamarine hair that definitely wasn’t Miette’s.

“Uh, where’s Miette?” I asked.

“Bathroom,” Lisia answered, pouting. “I saw it was you so I wanted to answer! How are you? Are you in Gloire City already?”

“Yeah,” I replied. So I guess that means they’re not…

“We’re almost there! Get us a room, Hoshi!” Lisia chirped.

“Fine,” I said.

“I’ll tell Miette you called! We should be there in two hours? Okay, bye Hoshi! Love you!”

“Uh, bye.”

The inn wasn’t too far away, and the innkeeper scowled at me when I said I wanted to reserve a room for four. “We’re full up. The Master Class is tomorrow.”

“I know. I’m in it.”

“Ah, well, we have rooms reserved for performers,” he admitted, his scowl softening slightly to a disapproving frown. “I will need to see some ID.”

“Right.” I pulled out my Kalosian ID and handed it to him.

“Hoshiko Gateaux,” he read. “May I see your Princess Keys?”

I pulled out the key ring, and he took a look at the three keys attached. “Right, these look real enough. And your name checks out. Congratulations on making it into the Master Class, Miss Gateaux!”

“Thanks,” I replied, finally able to relax and smile. He placed a keycard into my outstretched palm, and I waited for him to give back my ID.

“Hoshiko! Is that you?”

I whirled around to see a familiar group of four walking up to me, two girls and two boys. 

“Serena! Long time no see!” I exclaimed, running up to the girl. “You made it to the Master Class!”

“And you did too!” she added excitedly. “It took a lot of work, but we made it!”

“Hey, Hoshiko,” Bonnie piped up, rocking excitedly onto her toes. “You wanna come with us to dinner?”

I realized as she asked that it had been a while since I got to eat with anyone, or spend time chatting with anyone for that matter. “Sure!”

Bonnie grabbed my hand in hers, and the five of us walked over to a local restaurant specializing in omurice. Ash practically plowed through his food at an alarming rate, so Clemont and Serena spent most of the time catching me up on their adventures.

“So, Serena went up against this famous Performer named Amelia in Fleurrh City and won!” Clemont exclaimed, grabbing Serena’s shoulder. Said girl blushed, and brushed Clemont’s hand aside.

“Well, I wish I could be as excited as you, but after what Palermo said…” she trailed off, turning unusually quiet.

“Who’s Palermo?” I asked Serena.

“Well… she’s the person who trained the current Kalos Queen Aria, I think,” she replied. “She told me that I was missing something important in my performance. But she didn’t even give me a hint as to what. I wish she could have been more direct about it, you know? Especially this close to the Master Class!” Serena huffed.

For some reason, this seemed all too familiar to me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it…

“Oh, by the way, Hoshiko,” Serena began, eyeing me strangely.

“Yeah?”

“Where’s Miette and Ruby?”

“Uh… they should be here later on today,” I replied.

Serena stared for a moment, but then broke the eye contact. “Oh, okay. I look forward to seeing Miette. Well, I think,” she added, sighing. I laughed; Miette sometimes made people have that kind of reaction.

We finished dinner and returned to the inn. Serena’s group all waved good-bye, and went upstairs to rest. I went to follow suit, but then I heard a voice—

“Astie!”

I don’t even think I would have registered the old nickname if it hadn’t been spoken in my mother’s voice.

“M-Mom!” I shouted a bit too loud. “What are you doing here?”

“Astrid, don’t act so surprised,” she chastised. “You told me to see you in the Master Class, so I’m here.”

Everything seemed to cloud around me in that moment. She’d find out everything: the fake name, my new life, everything I’d hoped to hide from her…! 

“Am I upsetting you? I can leave,” she said hesitantly.

“No! No. I’m glad you’re here, Mom,” I managed. Of course I was happy she came all this way to see me, but…

“Well, good! I’m staying at a friend’s house outside of town. Can you believe this is the only inn in all of Gloire City, and it’s completely full-up for the competition?!”

I simply nodded, and she launched into a single-sided conversation about how everything was going back home. I nodded and hummed at all the right places, which seemed to satisfy her. My HoloCaster started ringing around the part where she started recalling yet another good deal she got at the market, and I happily answered.

“Hey!” Miette’s face sat perfectly within the frame. “We’ll be there in like, five minutes!” she announced. I could faintly hear Ruby and Lisia chatting in the background.

I felt a small thrill in my chest. I’d get to see all three of them in just moments! “Okay, I’m at the inn. I’ll see you soon!”

Mom sat silently across from me, then said, “I’m sure you’d like some time to see your friends, right? I’ll get to Rosa’s place, then.”

“Oh, I…” I hesitated to find the right words, but Mom shook her head.

“I understand. It wasn’t that long ago I was 14, you know,” she replied simply. “I’ll see you tomorrow in the Master Class, Astie. I’ll make sure to cheer the loudest for you! Don’t worry, I have a poster and everything!” At my responding groan, Mom returned to her usual overenthusiastic self. “Anyway, I’d better be off. Good night!”

“Good night,” I replied, and Mom disappeared out the door. Mere minutes later, Miette and company walked in the same door.

“HOSHI!” Lisia yelled, crossing our distance and grabbing me in a full embrace. “It’s been too long!”

“It’s only been two weeks!” I managed to gasp, and Lisia let go. Miette soon replaced her, who hugged me with slightly less force.

“It’s good to see you again, Hosh,” Miette said. “I’m excited to see everything you’ve done through your training. I’ve been training hard too, you know!”

“I bet!” I replied eagerly.

Ruby trudged behind the two girls, looking slightly apprehensive. He caught my eye, then held his arms out. “I mean, they gave you hugs, so if you want—”

I closed our distance and hugged him. “Of course, Ruby. It’s good to see you.”

The three of them beamed at me, and I imagined I must have been smiling, too. We went to the room I’d reserved, and stayed up all night talking about the different things we’d missed from one another.

\--

“AAAHHHH! Hoshi! Get up, get up!”

Lisia screeched straight into my ear, and I swatted where her voice came from. “Go away…”

“No, no, no, no Hoshi!” she exclaimed. “If we don’t get to the performance hall in ten minutes, we’re LAAAAATE!”

Bolting awake, I snapped, “What?! What time is it?”

“It’s 9:50!” Lisia yelled, and at that I threw myself out of bed.

“Why didn’t you wake me earlier!?”

“I just woke up too! And Miette and Ruby were already gone!”

Finally facing her, I saw she still had her pajama bottoms on and her hair up in a bun. 

“Why didn’t they wake us?” I grumbled, but realized that there was no time to complain. I threw on whatever was closest to me and bolted out the door, Lisia following behind. As we ran past the reception desk, I heard a voice call out, “Ah, Miss Gateaux—”

“No time, gotta go!” I yelled over my shoulder, and the receptionist looked startled.

As we ran, Lisia kept shouting out the amount of time we had left, as if that would help somehow.

“Four minutes Hoshi!”

“I’m working on it!” I snapped back. “Less talking, more running!”

“We only have threeeee minutes!”

“I know!”

The automatic doors to the performance hall opened, and Lisia and I rushed inside.

“Two minutes… to spare…” Lisia managed.

“You two made it!”

Miette’s voice came from up above, and I looked up to meet her gaze. She already wore her maid’s outfit and had her hair tied away from her face. Slurpuff and Meowstic flanked each of her sides, each decorated just enough for the competition.

“No thanks to you!” I snapped, and Miette shrugged.

“Should’ve set an alarm,” she replied. “This is the Master Class. You may be my good friend, but we’re still rivals in this.”

She had a point. I guess I couldn’t blame her, there. When it came to competitions, whether dance or Pokemon, Miette’s competitiveness often outranked her loyalty.

“You two are just in time!” the receptionist exclaimed, turning my attention back to the desk. “Your IDs, please, and hurry to the dressing room!”

Lisia and I handed the woman our IDs and did as she said. We only had fifteen minutes from there to prepare for the first round—

“Everyone, come over here!” an usher exclaimed, thrusting each of us towards some kind of receptacle. “You’ll get in there and Pierre will say what to do next. Make sure you have your Princess Keys!”

I stepped into what seemed to be a very small elevator, and the door closed automatically behind me. We rose into the air, and Pierre said, “Now, take out your Princess Keys and unlock the door to the future!”

The three keyholes revealed themselves, and I took each of my keys in hand. Each moment leading up until today flashed in my mind. My first TriPokalon, where I had to learn the hard way about the difference between Contests and Performance; my first victory at the Parfum Palace, when I’d passed out; my second victory with Lisia in Aquacorde Town; my devastating loss in Snowbelle City; and finally, my third victory in Anistar City. Catching Spritzee and Zoe, and the evolution of Amaura into Aurorus… All these memories of the past few months, along with all of my adventures with Ruby, Miette, and Lisia swirled around my mind, and I barely even noticed the crowd as I stepped onstage. 

“And now, Performers!” Instead of hearing his announcement backstage, as we were all probably accustomed to, we got to watch Pierre live in front of us. Somehow, that made everything even more thrilling! “We will be calling you up three at a time! So first, let’s have contestants 1, 2, and 3 take the stage!”

I looked down at my number. As the second to last person to register, the number 11 shimmered from my waist. The usher returned and had the rest of us leave the stage. I watched the performances go by from the wings, and got to cheer Serena onto the next round! But, unfortunately, Miette—

“Hosh…”

I turned to face her as she stumbled off of the stage, her eyes watery. I opened my arms to her, and she slammed herself into an embrace.

“You did amazing, Miette,” I told her, but she shook her head in response.

“I can’t believe… I didn’t even make it to the second round…” she blubbered into my chest. “Make it to the second round, Hosh. Please. I have to see you there…”

No pressure, right? “Yeah, of course. I’ll do everything I can to make it into the second round, you know that.”

“Thanks…” she choked out, sobbing once more before rubbing her eyes. “There’s no time to cry, right? After all, we gave it our all, Hosh!”

“You definitely did,” I told her. The loudspeaker came alive with sound again, and Pierre announced the final three contestants on-stage. From the looks of it, it seemed it would be me, Aya Berrybaker, and Lisia!

“Get out there and go for broke,” Miette said, shoving me lightly towards the stage entrance. I turned around briefly to give her a thumbs up, and made my way out onto the stage.

“All right, presenting our final three contestants!” Pierre announced. The spotlight flew across the stage before stopping on Aya. “Now, start!”

Aya sent out Hariyama and her Floette – which had evolved, apparently – and the three of them performed together. Hariyama used Arm Thrust on some Magical Leaves from the Floette-evolution, and then with a Fairy Wind behind them sent the shimmers out into the crowd! Then, I realized, was she done—

“Next contestant!” Pierre exclaimed, motioning towards me, and I jumped into action.

“Go, Breloom and Spritzee!” I called, and the two Pokemon popped out of their Pokeballs. “Breloom, Leech Seed! Spritzee, control them with Psychic!”

Spritzee waited for the Leech Seed to split, revealing the sapping vines, before freezing them with psychic power.

“Now, Spritzee, send the vines all around the stage!”

With a cry, Spritzee’s blue glow extended to the Leech Seed and the vines expanded all across the stage.

“Spin and use Seed Bomb, Breloom!”

Breloom spun on one foot, a move we’d learned from watching Serena’s ballet moves, and released a barrage of thick, hard-shelled seeds. They went all across the stage, the vines connecting with each of the seeds, causing them to explode into a bunch of sparkles. As the crowd roared around us, Lisia got into position.

“Go, Mari and Rita!”

… wait, who?

The electric sheep Pokemon popped out next to a tiny Pokemon with a purple head, large, cyan eyes not unlike its trainer’s, and a black and white body with white bows that seemed to be attached to its body. What kind of Pokemon was that? Thankfully, Pierre to the rescue, “It’s Lisia’s Flaaffy, and a new addition – Gothita!” 

“All right, let’s get this started with a nice Charge, Mari! And Rita, use Future Sight!”

Flaaffy came alive with crackling static electricity, and from next to it Gothita closed its eyes and glowed a bright lavender. It stopped suddenly, seeming satisfied with the move it made.

“Great! Now, Mari, Light Screen! And Rita, use Psyshock!”

Rita aimed its move at Mari, and neither Pokemon flinched. But that kind of rough strategy wasn’t like Lisia at all! It was much more like… well, me. Did Lisia decide to try something new for this competition? Through the filter of Light Screen, the dark orbs that Gothita released weakened into a dark glow that inched towards Flaaffy.

“Now, Discharge!” 

Mari burst back at the orbs, causing them to fly into the air and explode into tiny dark fireworks. Suddenly, from the sky, a large psychic force came and shattered the light screen above them – must have been Future Sight! The crowd gave a collective gasp at that, and Lisia along with her two Pokemon fell into a bow.

“And, time’s up! Everyone, vote for your favorite performance!”

Lisia caught my eye, her expression unreadable. That was the most… un-Lisia like performance I’d ever seen from her. Usually she was all bubble and spark, but today, she had a rough and tumble attitude I’d never seen from her. Was it because she was serious about this? Or was it for some other reason I couldn’t even fathom?

I wondered absently who Ruby would vote for. He cared about both of us. Perhaps he’d pick impartially, then. I tried to find him in the crowd, to no avail. I did see my mother, though, with many posters as promised, a purple light shining from her PokeLume.

The orbs flew on-stage, and purple light swirled all around me. I couldn’t see anything else, see anyone else, all I could do was wait until Pierre finally said—

“Contestant 11! Congratulations!” The soft smile on his lips betrayed his impartiality.

Wait… number 11? I pulled my skirt up slightly to see the number pinned there, and it was, it was…!

“Breh!” Breloom cried, jumping into my arms.

“Sprit-zeeee!” Spritzee followed up, landing on top of my head.

I couldn’t believe it… I’d made it to the semifinals of the Master Class! I almost forgot who was right next to me, but as I turned my head, I saw Lisia crumpled to the ground, Mari and Rita both nuzzled up to her.

“Hey, Lisia.”

The aquamarine-haired girl looked up slowly, her face marred by tears. She shook her head, as if trying to tell me without words to not say anything, but I refused to listen.

“No, you did amazing out there. Really. You gave it your all. That’s something to be proud of!”

She kept shaking her head faster, as if that would stop me from saying what I said, believing what I believed. “Just… just win, okay?” she managed to choke out, and I nodded in return.

“I can’t promise anything beyond that I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

Despite the fact that I didn’t say I’d do what she asked, she managed to break out in a smile. “I know you will. Do this for me, for your friend Miette, and for Ruby, who’s been by our side for this whole journey…”

It hit me then – she wasn’t just trying to win for herself. She wanted to win as a thank you to all the people who stood by her, including Ruby… and me. I reached out for her, and she clasped a hand in mine. As I pulled her to her feet, I said:

“I’ll do it for the four of us!”

Lisia nodded shakily, and pulled me into a hug. The crowd around us had died down, already ready to move on to the next thing, but none of that mattered in this moment. Two girls who had grown together, battled together, given it their all together needed the time and space to acknowledge all that had happened to this point. Pierre, thankfully, had given it a moment before ushering us off the stage, but everything that needed to be said was said.

\--

“Hoshiko, are you ready?”

I looked up into Serena’s eyes, which brimmed with confidence. I remembered suddenly the first time I’d seen the girl compete, overtaken by fear. What a transformation!

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I told her.

A brunette skipped over from a different corner of the room, stopping in front of Serena. I vaguely recognized her from somewhere… “I’m so excited, Serena! Aren’t you glad this day is finally here? And we’re both in the final round!”

Serena smiled finally, looking more like herself. “Yeah, Shauna, I’m so glad that you’re here with me. And Hoshiko too! I couldn’t ask for better rivals in the final.”

Shauna and I met eyes. The girl smiled then, holding out one hand. “I’m Shauna. It’s good to meet you, even if it’s under these circumstances…” She hesitated at the end, as if she worried about my reaction.

“Hoshiko. And I’m glad to meet you, especially now,” I replied. Her hesitant smile turned into a full-on grin. As we started to chat about other things, the door slammed open next to us and a frazzled blonde woman poked her head in.

“Hey, do you two know where… Astrid is?” she asked hesitantly, eyes darting between her clipboard and us.

I felt myself flinch at the name. There was someone named Astrid in this competition? How could I have not noticed something like that?

“I don’t know any Astrid, do you?” Serena asked me and Shauna. We both shook our heads in response.

“Maybe she’s the fourth semifinalist,” I supplied.

The woman shrugged. “Hmm, okay, Pierre has been calling her name for a while… it would be a shame to get this far and get disqualified here because you didn’t show for the semifinals!” the woman lamented, then disappeared from the doorway.

I looked at the TV with the on-stage feed, and sure enough, Pierre stood on stage with no one else, looking completely bewildered. He took in a deep breath, and the words he finally said left ice in my veins.

“Astrid Ichinomiya, if you do not come out on the stage now you will be disqualified.”

Though every other part of me felt heavy, my brain began to rush. I didn’t understand. I couldn’t understand how this was possible. This never happened in any of my other TriPokalon! My ID… didn’t my ID say…?

“Hoshiko? Is everything all right?”

Serena stared at me in concern, but I barely registered it. How was this possible? What was happening? My ID… my ID said Hoshiko Gateaux! I was sure of it! I pulled my wallet out of my purse, just to confirm it, when I realized that my Kalos ID was missing. A memory from the previous evening came back to me – I’d shown my ID to the guy at the hotel, and left before he was able to give it back, which means what I showed to the receptionist before the competition was my Hoenn ID—

I realized that Serena and Shauna were staring, and I quickly came up with something to say to get their eyes off of me. 

“I’m fine! I just need to go to the bathroom!” I snapped, and darted from the room.

I ran and ran until I made it to the stage wings, where Pierre stood, tapping his foot impatiently. He must have been confused too, since he was the MC for every TriPokalon and knew every Performer.

“Astrid Ichinomiya, you have been—”

“Wait!”

The blonde whirled around to face me, and his mouth dropped. Several emotions registered on his face: shock, hurt, then… clarity? He pressed a button on his headset, then said without amplification, “Mon Astrette…”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I replied.

He stared a moment more, until slipping back into his Monsieur Pierre persona. I was sure he’d have a lot of questions later, but thankfully, Pierre knew how to brush everything off for the sake of the show. “Introducing our first semifinalist, Astrid Ichinomiya!”

The crowd seemed confused as to how to react. Well, of course, no one knew who I was! Except for one lone person chanting, “Astie, Astie!” in the audience. My mother. The camera focused on her, and then I noticed, right next to her…

Why, of all places, is he sitting there!? my mind screamed. The screen showed a flash of a blue camo pattern beanie ending just above dark gray eyes, and I knew without a second glance. Ruby. Ruby, Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont sat right next to my mom. They chatted with each other, having no idea what was going on on-stage. How would he react to this…!

“Mademoiselle Ichinomiya, I suggest you choose your Pokemon.” Pierre interrupted my spiraling thoughts, and I was thankful he did.

“R-right.” I picked three Pokeballs from my belt, knowing the moment my Pokemon were revealed it would all be over. My journey as Hoshiko Gateaux had met its untimely demise.

… but then, my journey as Astrid Ichinomiya could begin!

And with that realization, I threw the Pokeballs out on stage. Aurorus, Breloom, and Torkoal all popped out, posing as we’d practiced: Aurorus, looming large in the back, Breloom, kneeling on one knee to the right, and Torkoal, out on all fours to the left.

The camera stayed on my mom and Ruby a split second more, and I caught the look of realization on his face before I ran out onto the stage, jumping and completing a full handstand before I landed back on my feet in the center of the three. As the audience realized that Astrid and Hoshiko were one and the same, their cheers erupted in anticipation.

“Let’s make this our best performance yet!” I roared above the crowd, and my three Pokemon affirmed this behind me. “Torkoal, use Fire Blast! And Aurorus, hit it with Freeze-Dry!”

Breloom and I danced around the other pair, who prepared their attacks. Torkoal released the star-shaped blast, and Aurorus followed up immediately with its new, powered-up ice type attack. Instead of the sparkling calm of Frost Breath, Freeze-Dry left no question about its power, coming forth in cloudy waves of frozen air. The star froze into place, and I stopped right in front of it.

“Aurorus, Ancient Power now! And Breloom, get ready for Leech Seed!”

As the fossil Pokemon prepared to release its strike, I ran right towards where it was supposed to emerge, jumping on as Aurorus released its attack. The crowd gasped, and so did I, as I rose higher and higher in the air… wasn’t this higher than usual!?

“Auro!” Aurorus cried, sensing my discomfort, but I did my best to play it off.

“We’re good! Breloom, now!”

The mushroom Pokemon rushed below the column and released its attack at its base. The seed traveled up and up, getting closer to where I stood, threatening to leech onto me. I stared out into the crowd then, ramping up the suspense. Anyone who’d followed me by this point might think they knew what I was up to based on past contests, but…

“Now Aurorus! Freeze-Dry!”

Aurorus wasted no time in releasing its attack straight at the Leech Seed, which opened wide in search of its next host. It managed to freeze the tendrils in place, as they surrounded me like a cage. I reached out to either side of me and grabbed onto the bars of my self-made prison, waiting a moment for effect, as the crowd grew louder and louder. But I knew now I couldn’t lose myself in them, I had to focus on the matter at hand. The most important thing: the success of my Pokemon!

Aurorus bent its long neck down, and Torkoal clumsily clambered on. The fossil Pokemon awaited my command for this next part—

“Now!”

In one smooth motion, Aurorus flung Torkoal into the air. The tortoise Pokemon looked down and visibly gulped, but I called its attention to me.

“Torkoal, use Rapid Spin! And Breloom—”

The mushroom Pokemon stealthily climbed the rocky column and had almost made it up to my height. The crowd gasped, their attention having been diverted by Aurorus and Torkoal’s earlier stunt.

“—Seed Bomb!”

The seeds connected first, bursting the icy cage around me. As I started to fall, I knew that this sensation wouldn’t last too long with Torkoal on its way. But then why did I still feel such a swooping sensation?

“Breh!”

“Aurooo!”

Both Pokemon cried out below me, and I realized that Torkoal hadn’t made it to its mark. It felt like the crowd had completely died out, as if they no longer believed in my performance. Did they realize that we’d screwed up…!? Then, I through the silence, I could hear one voice—

“HOSHIKO! DON’T QUIT YET!”

At the sound of Ruby’s voice, I forced myself to open my eyes, to admit that the ground continued to rush towards me. Or, rather, I towards it. Right, so I would either end up in the hospital, which Ruby told me I couldn’t do this time (and I guess I should listen to him for once), or I’d salvage this performance. I had to salvage it!

Previous performances flashed through my mind, and I suddenly remembered one where a performer had been falling, but then the falling was intentional. She hadn’t been falling towards a Pokemon, had she? Wait… that’s right, that performer had been falling towards me…

… that’s it!

“Breloom, reach out your arms!”

“Loom!?”

The mushroom Pokemon looked up to meet my eyes, shock and bewilderment shining through its own.

“Trust me!”

Without another word, Breloom reached up its claws. I flipped so that I fell headfirst and reached my arms out towards Breloom. The mushroom Pokemon realized then what I intended and braced itself. We slammed into each other, Breloom bracing as best as it could, but it seemed like my weight and the force would be too much—

“Tor!”

The tortoise Pokemon rushed forth – as best as it could, at any rate, and caught me as I fell from Breloom’s grasp. With the last bits of momentum, it carried me in a Rapid Spin towards the front of the stage, and whirled me off with a flourish. The three Pokemon had gathered behind me in their finishing pose, and despite all that had gone wrong, we’d managed to pull it off!

“Fin-finished!” I managed, and the crowd remained silent. I could only hear my heavy breathing and the panting of my Pokemon behind me.

Okay, so it wasn’t great for a Master Class performance, but at least we ended up all right, didn’t we!? None of us passed out or ended up in the hospital! … kind of sad that that’s now my standard for performances. 

As I finished that thought, I heard one person start clapping enthusiastically, as if nothing was wrong, then others followed suit. The clapping evolved into something stronger, some folks whistling and shouting. Well, at least… there was that.

“And that was Performer Hoshiko—” Pierre announced, out of habit, then realized his mistake. “Performer Astrid Ichinomiya! Thank you for your performance!”

I grinned at him, recalled my Pokemon, and walked triumphantly off-stage. I knew we wouldn’t make it to the final round. But we sure as hell gave it our all.


	19. Rematch to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a star dreams once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this and chapter 18 were together, but I realized it was way too long. More than 10,000 words! So anyway, here's my other favorite chapter of the fic :)

**_Rematch to Remember_ ** _  
September_

“Hey, Hoshiko… Or uh… Um…”

The oddly hesitant voice, one I’d never heard so halting before, greeted me in the backstage. Ruby’s gray eyes seemed dimmer than usual, as he stood before me, unable to look me in the eyes. In the background, Serena and Aria prepared to face off to determine the future Kalos Queen. I wanted to tell Ruby off for not watching the final himself, but couldn’t find it in me to be mad at him.

“You can call me Hoshiko,” I said.

Ruby frowned. “That’s not your name,” he ground out.

“I…” But no matter what I would have said next, I knew it wouldn’t have mattered. That wasn’t why he was upset.

“You lied. We traveled together for months and I… I don’t even know who you are....”

I didn’t expect to feel what I did at his words, but as he said them I rushed at him.

“That’s not true!” I snapped, and Ruby took a step back in shock, wrenching himself from my sudden grip on his shoulders. I tried everything I could to rein in my anger, really, I did! But it kept spilling forth. “Yes, I lied when I said my name was Hoshiko. But I didn’t lie about anything else!”

“How can I believe that?” Ruby’s voice was uncharacteristically small.

“You don’t have to believe me. In fact, I understand if you don’t.” Ruby said nothing, so I took that a cue to continue. “I was going to tell you everything after this. I didn’t want it to come out this way but…”

“But it did,” Ruby said, and he fell silent again.

We both stood in that awkward silence, the TV blaring the onstage feed behind us. Serena had just finished her performance, and the camera panned onto Aria. But I barely registered any of this, as Ruby consumed what little focus I had externally.

“Did Miette know?” he finally said. I shook my head. “She didn’t think it was weird when you used her last name?”

“She gave me crap about it but she knew I didn’t like my last name already,” I explained. Which was true – she did know that I found my last name cumbersome, but she didn’t know what it was. Well. Hadn’t known. “I guess she just thought I wanted a different last name for performance. Which, I mean, she wouldn’t have been wrong.”

“So Hoshiko is just a stage name, then?”

“Well, no, I started using it when I learned I’d be moving to Kalos.” 

Ruby scowled, his brows bunching near his nose. “So it wasn’t a stage name. It was a false identity you created when you realized that no one would know the difference.”

Was it just me or was he unreasonably upset? “It’s just a name, Ruby, I’m still me…” I trailed off, and I realized that no matter what I said, Ruby wouldn’t be satisfied. But then, even if that’s the case, why should I keep it bottled up? “I’m sure you don’t care, but I’m going to say this anyway. Hoshiko is an important name to me. Maybe it’s not the name I was officially given by my parents. But it’s still important, and I still consider it my name.”

“Hoshiko…” Ruby breathed, seeming tired all of a sudden. But I didn’t stop.

“I’m talking,” I said, and Ruby shut his mouth. “Look, maybe you don’t understand what it’s like to want to escape yourself and your life. Though based on our previous conversations, I think you do.” Ruby nodded wordlessly. “I wanted to succeed on my terms. And that included succeeding with an identity that wasn’t connected with my past. I was from a small town. Everyone knew who I was, and I…” I trailed off, unsure with how to continue. Luckily, the boy across from me had some idea of what to say.

“I get it.” And I knew that he did. “And… I don’t blame you. I mean, I’m still mad but I understand what you’re saying.” He paused then, fidgeting with his hands, his mouth squirming, as if he had something else he wanted to say. “I… uh…”

“Are you having a stroke?”

Ruby stopped, stared, and then broke out into laughter. I hadn’t said anything funny, had I?

“You see me nervous and that’s your first thought! Hah! You’re so silly, Hoshiko.”

“I was worried, you’re being weird!” Ruby frowned at my words. “And anyway, nervous about what?”

“Ack!” he gulped, not unlike a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. “I… I didn’t mean to admit that.”

“Yeah, well, today’s the day of unintentional revelations, I guess.”

Ruby rolled his eyes. Almost his usual self again. But wait, he never answered my question!

“Are you gonna tell me or not?”

“Tell you what?”

“Don’t play dumb!” I snapped. “What you’re nervous about.”

“Oh, right…” Had he really forgotten? “Well, about that…” He paused, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. Then, after a second too long, he managed to both shout and stammer, “B-BATTLE ME AND I-UH-I’LL TELL YOU!”

“… what?”

“BATTLE me,” Ruby repeated, adjusting his volume back to normal a word too late.

I turned back to the onstage monitor a moment. Serena stood, a shadow of her previous confident, usual perky self. Pierre stood next to Aria, raising her hand in the air. She had successfully defended her title of Kalos Queen.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Ruby and I walked silently to a battlefield just by the docks, some distance from the performance hall. Though it was a trek, the battlefield provided the perfect backdrop for our battle!

“Let’s make this a one-on-one battle!” he announced, pulling a Pokeball from his belt. I did the same, and in one swift motion, we both called our Pokemon out onto the battlefield.

“Time to show ‘em, Swampert!”

“Aurorus, give it your all!”

Something seemed oddly familiar about this battle… wasn’t it like the one we’d had when we met?

“Starter versus starter, then,” Ruby announced from across the field. “It won’t end the same way as last time!”

So he remembered, too… “We’ll see about that! Aurorus, use Freeze-Dry!”

“Use Rock Slide to block it!”

Swampert banged its fists on the earth, causing rocks to dislodge and suspend in the air. The icy attack froze the rocks, but didn’t even touch Swampert.

“Ancient Power through that!”

“Use Muddy Water when it gets close!”

“No, Aurorus—”

But before I could formulate a counterattack, Aurorus released its rocky attack, splitting the Rock Slide wall into pieces. Swampert retaliated with a murky wave, that without the Rock Slide wall in the way slammed straight into the fossil Pokemon.

“Are you okay?”

Aurorus nodded easily, seeming mostly unfazed by the attack. “Good! Let’s keep it up with another Freeze-Dry!”

Ruby laughed hollowly, then shook his head. “It’s unlike you to try the same thing twice like that. Swampert, use Rock Slide again!”

“Charge towards Swampert now!”

Ruby couldn’t hide the shock on his face, as the fossil Pokemon lumbered towards the mudfish Pokemon. Though it must have hurt Aurorus, the Pokemon barely flinched as it broke through the rocky barrier and struck Swampert directly.

“Take advantage of the closeness and use Hammer Arm!”

“Use Freeze-Dry, now!”

Both attacks – which I could hear Miette remind me in my mind were super-effective – directly hit their marks. The pair flew away from each other, Aurorus’ breath seeming more labored than Swampert’s.

“Your Pokemon has already taken two super-effective moves,” Ruby taunted. He seemed back to his usual self then, a sort of subdued over-confident that worked its way out of him. “I think you’re at a disadvantage here.”

“People like to tell me that,” I replied simply, shrugging. I faced my Pokemon, who struggled to stay upright. “Let’s use Calm Mind, Aurorus.”

The fossil Pokemon nodded solemnly, then closed its eyes. The fins that flowed from the side of its head glowed with white light, and its eyes snapped back open with a new strength.

“That won’t be enough to stop this! Swampert, use Muddy Water!”

“Freeze-Dry it!”

Ruby flinched at realizing his mistake, but it was too late. The dark wave stopped in its tracks completely frozen. Then he shook his head and… laughed? “That won’t stop me, Hoshiko. Swampert, use Earthquake!”

“Ah—!”

My mind scrambled to find a solution to this. How could I avoid an attack that shook the entire battlefield? And then, it hit me… but wait… that was too risky, wasn’t it? But it was the only way, and I knew an attack like Earthquake would probably take Aurorus out.

“Aurorus, you trust me, right?” The Pokemon looked back and nodded without hesitation. “Use Ancient Power right below yourself!”

“That’s ridiculous, Hoshiko, no Pokemon is going to attack itself on purpose—”

But Aurorus did just that, releasing a rocky column under its own feet, propelling itself in the air and out of the way of Earthquake. It flinched slightly at the pain of being struck by its own attack, but managed to keep standing on shaky legs.

“This is crazy, Hoshiko—”

And maybe it was. After all, I hadn’t thought through a next step. How would we get off the rocky tower? And how would Aurorus land its next attack?

I sensed a crowd growing around myself and Ruby, and their mumblings seemed to agree with my assessment of the situation. And Ruby’s too. So, since the issue was that Aurorus and Swampert were at different elevations… wait a second…!

“Aurorus, use Ancient Power under Swampert now!”

“Wha—”

Before Ruby could even make a coherent sound, Swampert stood helplessly above the crowd, right at eye level with Aurorus. As the mudfish Pokemon nervously glanced around, clearly unused to being so high in the air, I knew I had my opening.

“Aurorus, Freeze-Dry!” I managed to roar above the crowd.

I didn’t hear a peep from Ruby, so I averted my gaze from the battlefield in the air for a moment. He stared straight up, open-mouthed, as if struck by a Thunder Wave. The attack connected, knocking Swampert from its stony pedestal and into the ground below. It struggled to its feet and finally managed to make it upright onto shaky paws.

“C’mon Swampert!” Ruby yelled, his voice barely making it over the hum of the crowd. “Hammer Arm at Aurorus’ rocky tower!”

Oh no! Ruby’s attack would make Aurorus fall from such a great height… that couldn’t be good! But what other options did we have?

And then, that’s when I realized, there was one other option. One that would require Aurorus to trust me unquestioningly. We’d been together four years. Would that be enough?

“Aurorus, before Swampert connects…” Through shudders I barely got the words out. I was terrified of what I was going to say, I knew that it could end very poorly for Aurorus, but it was the safest option I could think of. “… jump!”

The crowd gasped, and Aurorus, without hesitating, jumped.

“Hoshiko, what the hell?” I heard from across the battlefield.

“You’re the one who’s going to destroy the pedestal Aurorus is standing on!” I didn’t snap, though I desperately wanted to. What right did Ruby have to be angry at me? Instead, I focused on the fossil Pokemon hurtling through the air, so close to connecting to the ground—

Ruby recovered more quickly than I’d expected, and shouted, “Swampert, trap it with Muddy Water!” The boy smirked from across the field, thinking he’d bested me probably.

“Ah, so you think that landing in water will cause more damage,” I confirmed. He nodded. Mirroring his smirk with one of my own, I said, “Freeze-Dry the Muddy Water, Aurorus!”

“Ack—!”

Aurorus launched an icy gust from one flap of its sails, and the ice quickly froze the murky water below. Finally, the fossil Pokemon made contact with the ice, slamming into it graceslessly.

“That sounded painful!”

“Oh, is that poor Pokemon okay?”

“That’s too risky for a Pokemon to do!”

“No, that’s just Hoshiko. She’s the Kalos Stunt Queen!”

I hadn’t realized that I’d had a nickname like that, but… I kind of liked it.

“Thank you, thank you,” I said, bowing in the general direction of that final comment.

“Kalos Stunt Queen?” Across the battlefield, Ruby choked on his laughter. “That’s great! Perfect, even. Almost as good as the Kalos Queen of Fainting—”

“Hey!” I snapped. “You didn’t seem to happy about that title before!”

He sobered quickly, and shook his head. “Well, it’s better when you’re not in the hospital, anyway.”

“Glad you feel so strongly about me, Ruby.”

The boy flushed crimson, then managed to stutter out, “Th-there’s a ba-battle going on, Hoshiko!”

Spinning easily on one foot, I made a 360 and followed up with, “Aurorus, you’re good to go, right?”

The fossil Pokemon stood up completely, all eight feet and ten inches of it reaching towards the sky. The shattered ice crystals floated in midair, and with a twist of its head and a roar, the crystals melted to sparkles all around. Sounded like an overly-done yes to me!

“Great! Freeze-Dry towards Swampert, now!” I imagined he’d try to defend or dodge, but—

“Stay there and use Earthquake!” Ruby countered quickly.

“Wow, that other trainer is pretty risky too!”

“Maybe he’s Hoshiko’s apprentice!”

“The Kalos Stunt Prince?”

“Maybe he’s Hoshiko’s boyfriend!”

“Hey!” Ruby snapped at that. “Stop that!” He turned to me then. “Make them stop it!”

“Aw, come on! That’s not so bad!” I replied, then gave the crowd another spin. The applause ramped up on my side of the field. The boy looked away, his cheeks pinking again, but said nothing else. 

This battle had started out pretty serious, but the crowd made it fun. I realized then how much I’d changed through TriPokalon and my Kalos journey. I wanted to put on a show for everyone, and didn’t mind being in the middle of everything. In fact, it came naturally for me at this point.

A roar snapped me out of my realization, as Swampert stood tall despite the Freeze-Dry. The mudfish Pokemon flinched openly as it struggled to continue standing through the icy onslaught. Some of the chill made it all the way through to Ruby, who shivered noticeably at the contact. Swampert and Ruby were really giving it all this time, weren’t they?

Finally, Swampert broke through the pain and slammed its arms onto the earth below. Aurorus cried out, buckling to its knees. Both Pokemon let up their attacks, and collapsed to the ground. They each struggled to their feet, grunting and heaving.

“C’mon, Swampert!” Ruby cried, and his side of the field echoed his calls.

“Aurorus, we’re almost there!” I cheered, and my side of the field cheered too.

Though both Pokemon seemed like they’d be able to stand, Swampert collapsed back onto the ground, unconscious. Aurorus followed soon after, landing right next to the mudfish Pokemon.

“Ah—”

“No—”

“Wow, a draw!” a very familiar voice chirped above the hum of the crowd. I saw Lisia’s aquamarine mane before seeing the girl herself emerge from the crowd on Ruby’s side.

“You both really gave it your all, huh?” another very familiar voice mused. I turned around and met Miette’s gaze with my own.

“I…” I trailed off momentarily, glancing back at Aurorus and Swampert passed out in the middle of the battlefield. Ruby had made his way over to the mudfish Pokemon, who weakly lifted its head to see him. He petted the Pokemon gently with his right hand, his left hand resting on his left thigh. “… I guess you’re right.”

“Yeah,” Miette said, though she wasn’t smug about it at all. She then gave me a little shove towards the center of the field, “Go see Aurorus. And Ruby,” she added quickly at the end, as I’d already started walking towards the fossil Pokemon. I scrunched my face at her in a faux-sneer before turning back towards the center.

“Auroooo,” Aurorus hummed, slowly raising its head to meet me. I knelt on the ground beside it, patting its head gently.

“It’s fine, really,” I replied to its seeming apology. “You gave it your all and your all was amazing. But Swampert is a powerful Pokemon, and Ruby’s a wonderful trainer.”

I looked up just in time to catch said trainer turning bright red right next to me. Despite his embarrassment, he managed to blurt, “Th-thanks, Hoshiko.” Then, so quick and breathless that it seemed almost an afterthought, “You’re wonderful yourself.”

There seemed to be a word missing there… “A wonderful trainer, right?”

“Uh—” Before Ruby could clarify, Lisia burst forth from where she stood, putting her right hand on his left. I could barely keep in my anger, which burst forth as heat in my chest just as suddenly as she had. Ruby and I were having a conversation—!

“Are you okay, Ruby? Is Hoshi giving you a hard time?” Her bright blue eyes bored holes into my defenseless face. But I hadn’t even done anything!

The crowd had dispersed, leaving only the three of us – four if you counted Miette, who seemed to be intentionally sticking to the outside of our huddle. The noise died down with the crowd’s departure, and I could clearly hear Ruby’s breathing. It seemed rushed, as if his body was trying to keep up with his mind, which must have been spinning the way his eyes glared into the ground next to him.

“Ruby?” Lisia asked again.

The boy lifted his head slowly from its position to meet Lisia’s eyes. “I’m fine,” he said, with barely a smile. He silently recalled Swampert, and I followed suit. The Pokemon both needed time to rest.

“You don’t seem fine,” Lisia retorted, her hands finding their way to her hips.

After a long pause, where Ruby stared into the ground and Lisia stared at him, the boy finally said, without so much as a glance in her direction, “You’re right. I’m not.”

“Whaaat?” Lisia seemed stunned by his admission. “Well, then, let me do something to help—”

“You can’t do anything to help.”

Lisia blanched at his words, and at her silence he finally tore his eyes from the ground to meet hers. Seeing her stunned reaction, he then quickly added, “I’m sorry, it’s not about you.”

“I…” Lisia turned her gaze from Ruby, to me, then lingered her glance on my eyes as she said, “I think I understand…” She sniffled wet, as if she were about to cry, but turned her head too quickly for me to see any potential tears. Instead, she took off towards the Pokemon Center.

“Lisia! Wait up!”

Miette’s shout startled me, as I’d completely forgotten she stood right behind me during all of that. But she rushed after Lisia, leaving Ruby and I on our own. 

“Should we go after them?” I had to clear the hoarseness from my throat; too much had happened since the last time I’d spoken.

“In a moment.”

Ruby’s eyes shone silver as he met mine. The boy chuckled. I really had no idea why, and it must have shown on my face, so when he opened his eyes again, he explained, “Those two are too observant. Or maybe I’ve become too obvious.”

“What are you talking about, Ruby?”

“Hoshiko,” he said. He didn’t say anything else, so I got ready to ask, What? But before I could even get that word out, he reached out his right hand and cupped my cheek with it. … what was he doing?! And why did it feel so… so strange? I felt myself tense, wondering if I should lean closer or jump away. “Please stay,” he added, finally, so I did. We stayed there like that, just sitting on the ground, in the middle of Gloire City, as the city babbled and thrived around us, for what felt like ages. My legs felt restless, and the sensation of his hand on my cheek hadn’t stopped sparking, for lack of a better word, so finally I spoke up.

“What are you—”

“I like you!” Ruby blurted before I could finish my question, his face heating redder than his namesake gem.

Wait, what? All that for this? “I hope after all this time traveling together that you’d like me, Ruby.”

Ruby removed his palm from my cheek, and I missed the heat instantly. However, he apparently needed that palm to cover his face in annoyance. “Ugh, Hoshiko, really?”

“Really what?”

“You know what I’m trying to say, right?”

“If you want me to know what you’re saying, you should just say it.”

Sighing, Ruby murmured as if to himself, “Miette wasn’t exaggerating when she said that you were dense…”

“Hey!” I snapped. “Miette said what about me!?”

“She said that… whatever. It doesn’t matter now.” Ruby’s face sobered, and his overly serious look startled me. Of course, Ruby was usually a serious person, but something about this seemed more intense than his usual. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sighing it out slowly, then finally looked up into my eyes again. “I’m going to say something now that’s very personal to me, so I just ask that you listen until I’m done. I hope that’s okay.” He took my silence as a yes, as I’d intended, so he continued.

“We – you and I, I mean – met on March 28.” How could he remember a detail like that?! I must have looked stunned, as he continued quickly, “It was the day after Lisia’s birthday. She and I’d met up in Fortree City, and celebrated at the Treetop Bistro. But she had to leave immediately after for Lilycove City, which is why she wasn’t with me the day that we met. Uh, anyway. So Lisia and I had been dating at that point almost three months… uh… where am I going with this?

“Okay. So you know my thing about battling gym leaders. That I stopped for a while, because… because of what my… my…!” Ruby gulped, and sighed, and finally decided to continue, “Because of what the Petalburg City gym leader told me. I was in Fortree City with every intention of battling Winona, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. I was wandering Route 120 kind of aimlessly when I heard a noise and a scream. I turned to see you.” 

Right. I’d been running away from home out of frustration, because this day that Ruby was recounting to me was also the day that I learned I would be moving to Kalos. Then, I felt so alone, so hopeless, and as if my dream was being stolen from right under me. But now… I could barely even recall that feeling, with all of the wonderful things that had happened since then.

“You read my name from my Trainer Card. I thought you’d know who I was, since whenever anyone in Hoenn hears the name Senri… but you didn’t say a thing. Then, I asked what your name was.”

I recalled that deliberation, what to tell this strange boy my name was. I hadn’t said Astrid, obviously, as he had never heard me called by that name before today. In fact, now that I thought about it, Ruby was the first person I’d introduced myself to as…

“Hoshiko,” he said. “You’d looked into the sky, with the first stars of the night peeking out, before you finally said your name was Hoshiko. It took you a while to say your name – I know why, now – but then when you said your name, you had this look on your face, like you and I both were hearing your name for the first time. Like it was the most beautiful thing you’d ever said.

“We battled. And I kept thinking about you after that. I wanted you to travel with me. I wanted to learn more about this mysterious girl whose name even enraptured her. Who battled more creatively than anyone else I’d battled previously. I found my desire to take on gym challenges again and won the badges from Fortree, Mossdeep, and Lilycove, but never managed to get my eighth badge. 

“After a couple months, I realized that I wasn’t interested in Lisia anymore, not in the same way. So we broke things off, and I traveled to Kalos, hoping that perhaps I would see you again, but not really expecting it. Then, I heard about the TriPokalon in Ambrette Town, and since I was passing through I figured I’d check it out. And well, here we are.”

I paused, just to make sure he was done, before saying, “Well.”

“Well?”

“I still don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

Ruby sighed, shaking his head. “I’m trying to say that I like you, Hoshiko.”

“You said that already.”

“I did, but you didn’t get my meaning the first time.”

His… meaning… then it hit me. He liked me. I didn’t understand at first why he’d mentioned his relationship with Lisia in the story, as if it was important to our meeting… but maybe… that would make sense if he liked me like—

“No!” I snapped. 

Ruby paled, and looked away. “Is that your answer to my—”

“No, wait, no!” I flailed, and I must have been a mess as Ruby looked genuinely concerned for me. “I-I’m not answering anything! I’m just surprised! I mean, this has never happened to me before!”

“Never?” Ruby echoed. “What about Pierre?”

He was right. Pierre had said he’d liked me, with that implication. But I definitely hadn’t felt the same way about his admission as I did for Ruby’s. Did it mean something that these feelings were completely different? I’d gone out with Pierre several times, but not because of any sort of interest. Curiosity, yes. But not interest. With Ruby… how exactly did I feel, anyway? I did enjoy spending time with him. It wasn’t borne from curiosity, but it didn’t seem like interest, either.

“It’s not the same…” I mumbled, unable to say all that I was thinking.

“It is not the same, because… because you feel this way too?” Ruby’s face lit up then, his eyes radiating hope at my answer. 

“I…” Memories flooded back, unbidden. Ruby’s constant support of me through my TriPokalon challenges. His concern for my safety, for the times that I risked my life for my art and, once, for him. His moments of vulnerability, and how he had trusted me time and time again with the truth…

Maybe I liked him too.

Just maybe.

But…

“Yes?” he asked me, unable to wait for my response.

“I don’t know,” I said, finally. 

He deflated slightly, closed his eyes, lowered his head, and shook it. It was a sad action, but not one of defeat. “That’s okay. You don’t need to know right now.”

Relief flooded my chest. It made sense he was disappointed, but he definitely wasn’t upset or angry at my admission. “I’m glad you understand.”

Ruby stood up then, looking across the landscape towards the moutains looming large. He offered me a hand, which I took, and the boy hoisted me to my feet. After many moments, he looked back at me, and said, “I do.”

I felt myself break out into a smile. So we were still friends. But then Ruby opened his mouth to say more.

“But I expect an answer from you sometime, you know!” He said it with a laugh, and though he seemed to mean it as a joke, it also carried a bit of weight.

“Of course,” I said. Then, I blurted, “I have a new goal in mind that I have to get to, and then I’ll tell you for sure!”

“What’s that?” he asked, intrigued.

“I want to return to Hoenn and become the Top Coordinator,” I admitted. 

Ruby smiled instantly, practically glowing. “That’s great, Hoshiko. Really! You should focus on that first.”

“And you…” I said. “You need to battle your dad again. And win.”

He sobered at that. “I don’t know…”

“Let’s meet again in Hoenn.” When Ruby didn’t move to respond, I continued, “We should meet after I become Top Coordinator and you, Hoenn League Champion. And I promise I’ll have an answer for you then.”

“That’s a big thing to say, Hoshiko! What if we don’t make it? Will we just… not speak of this again?” Ruby looked like he was going to cry. 

“Well,” I said, a teasing smile making its way onto my face. “You’d better become the Champion, then.”

“D-don’t joke around!” But he seemed less upset than he had, initially, and held out his right hand. “Fine. If this is a thing, let’s shake on it.”

“You came around quick.”

“Well…” he trailed off, then continued, “last time, we agreed that if you won your third Princess Key, I would have to win my eighth badge. During those two weeks we were apart, I challenged Olympia again and won. I only had the courage to do that because we’d agreed, and I couldn’t let you down. So maybe…” He didn’t finish his thought, but by that point, he didn’t need to.

“I promise, Ruby,” I said again. “I promise I’ll have an answer for you.”

We shook on it, and our hands lingered together for too long, as we each relished the warmth of the other.


	20. Hoenn Again

**_Epilogue: Hoenn Again_ **

The sun filtered into the room through the curtain, lighting my face with the first rays of dawn. I sat up, awakened without the assistance of a chirpy voice or a harsh alarm. Even without the smell of coffee. Just the first light of the day, nothing more or less.

Turning to my side, I saw all five of my Pokemon, still tuckered out from the previous day’s training, snoring away. They could rest a little longer.

I slipped out of the room and began my day’s weight training. Sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, curls… Well, you don’t need to know my whole routine, but let’s just say that by the time I was done the sun had been in the sky for hours.

As I made my way up to my room to get the Pokemon breakfast, I could hear a voice in my room. Who—

“… it’s so good to see you!” a voice chirped. I didn’t see anyone there, so… my HoloCaster? Torkoal and Aurorus, illuminated by a bright, artificial light, nodded and announced their names enthusiastically in response. That about confirmed it. “What have you two been up to?” The Pokemon said different variations of their names again, from which the caller seemed to understand something. “How’s Breloom? Well…”

“Hey!” I exclaimed, realizing then who the voice belonged to. “Lisia!”

“Hoshi!” the girl replied, her aquamarine shock taking up most of the HoloCaster’s screen. “I’ve been calling and calling. I guess I must have woken up your Pokemon…” She seemed apologetic, but Aurorus and Torkoal both shook their heads as if telling the girl not to worry. “I just saw your Contest in Slateport City on TV! You were sooo amazing, Hoshi!”

“Thanks,” I mumbled. I hadn’t won, as I was still getting re-used to Contest rules versus TriPokalon rules. She must have noticed all that, but perhaps she was trying to be polite. “How’re things in Kalos?”

Lisia paused a moment, seeming unsure. That silence gave me a moment to reflect on the past few weeks.

We’d all parted ways right after the Master Class, first saying our good-byes to Ash and them. Serena seemed rejuvenated the day after, her eyes sparking happily.

 _“I don’t know what I’ll do after this adventure is over… maybe I’ll work with Palermo like Aria did and become Kalos Queen next time.”_ Serena didn’t seem too excited about that idea, and I realized why watching her glance linger on Ash. She noticed me staring, then flushed red and turned back to me. _“Uh, but I’ll figure it out! What are you doing next, Hoshiko?”_

I told her about Pokemon Contests, and the dream I had once pursued before my life became uprooted. Serena smiled, as if she’d just had a good idea herself.

_“That sounds great. When do you leave for Hoenn?”_

_“Tomorrow.”_ I’d made up my mind on my dream, and after a visit to my parents I would be on my way to my homeland.

 _“Tomorrow! So this is going to be good-bye?”_ Serena’s face fell as she spoke.

I made sure to tell her that it wasn’t good-bye, but rather, see you later. She seemed satisfied with that ( _maybe I’ll see you in a Pokemon Contest one of these days_ , she had said, with a wink), and the foursome traveled onwards to their next destination.

I remembered that after that, Lisia, Miette and Ruby met me in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. I’d already told them that I planned to make my way back to Ambrette Town, and Miette decided to come with me to give her time to think on what she would do next. She eventually decided to enter Pokemon Contests in Sinnoh, so that she and I wouldn’t be in direct competition, and so that we could both be Top Coordinators together, but at that time neither of us knew that. Lisia and Ruby, on the other hand, planned to continue to the Pokemon League for Ruby’s challenge. But before that, one last lunch, idea courtesy of Lisia. 

Miette and Lisia walked ahead of myself and Ruby, the two blue-heads chattering enthusiastically. Despite how upset she’d been the day before, Lisia seemed back to her normal, chirpy self, and somehow closer to Miette than she had been previously. Right before crossing the threshold into the Pokemon Center’s café, Ruby grabbed my hand to stop me.

 _“Hoshiko,”_ he said.

He always said just my name by itself before something important, so I waited for him to continue.

 _“I have an idea.”_ His eyes darted around different parts of my face, almost nervously.

_“Yes?”_

_“I... I know we shook on our promise yesterday. But I wanted to uh, lend you something to seal the promise. Uh. I mean, someone.”_

_“What?”_ I asked, confused. What did he even mean?

 _“I’ve noticed something through my battles,”_ he said, plucking one of his Pokeballs from his belt and tossing it in the air just above his hand absently. _“My Pikachu… she’s meant to perform, I think. Just the way she battles.”_

I had a feeling I understood what he was saying. But wouldn’t that mean that I…

The thought ended abruptly, as I had a realization of my own. Didn’t I have a Pokemon that was meant to battle? I pulled Breloom’s ball from my belt, wondering if this was what Ruby meant.

 _“I think she would develop a lot from participating in Contests,”_ Ruby clarified.

 _“If you’re asking to trade, I have a Pokemon for you,”_ I told him.

Ruby smiled. _“I thought you would.”_

We called both of our Pokemon out, and we told them what we’d discussed. Pikachu looked warily from Ruby to me, and I recalled then his story of how the two had met. She’d been abandoned by her previous trainer. Was this really such a good idea for her?

 _“It’s okay, Pikachu,”_ he said, noticing her worry. _“Hoshiko and I will meet again. You can help me keep her honest.”_

__

__

_“Hey!”_ I snapped. Breloom also crossed its arms in a huff, and Ruby stifled a chuckle.

_“I was kidding! No, that’s not what I mean. Pikachu, I think you will love Contests. And I will come back for you. That’s a promise.”_

The electric mouse Pokemon seemed hesitant, but met eyes with me and slowly nodded. As soon as she made her decision, she jumped from Ruby’s shoulder to mine, stepping lightly as if to find the most comfortable position.

Breloom looked up at me, not saying anything.

_“I am so thankful that we’ve participated in Contests and TriPokalon together. But I know you’ve always enjoyed battling the most, Breloom.”_

Still nothing.

 _“Ruby has a very difficult battle he needs to win. And I know you can help him. Since…”_ I paused, feeling something prickling at my eyes. I wasn’t going to cry, was I? Ruby looked concerned, which I hated, so I forced myself to continue, _“Since I can’t be there. Please, support him in defeating the Petalburg Gym in my place!”_

Breloom nodded at that, mind made up. We recalled both of our Pokemon, and right on cue Miette jumped out across the threshold. 

_“What’s taking so long?”_ she whined. She then noticed Ruby and I, probably looking quite embarrassed, and a mischievous grin made its way to her face. _“You two! Save the good-bye kisses for later!”_

 _“It-it was nothing like that!”_ I snapped.

 _“I kid! You two are too easy,”_ she replied, flouncing back into the café.

 _“We’d better go,”_ Ruby grumbled, face completely red, as he stomped behind the girl.

After our lunch, we’d completed the trade, to Lisia’s shock and Miette’s glee ( _this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!_ she’d said, much to Ruby’s continued chagrin). And that evening, we went on our separate ways. Lisia hugged me with tears flowing from her eyes, the wetness catching in my hair and on my shirtsleeve. 

Ruby replaced her quickly, the hug lasting a little longer than maybe it should have. Surprised by the silence at this, I looked around to see that Lisia and Miette had disappeared somewhere. I wasn’t sure why they’d done that, but I was glad they did as Ruby then whispered in my ear:

_“Don’t forget. You promised.”_

I shuddered from the warm air in my ear, and just as quickly as the warmth had appeared, it left with the boy who’d created it.

I missed that warmth instantly.

“… Hoshi? You in there?”

I snapped back to reality with that, Lisia pouting in concern. “I’m in here,” I replied, and Lisia sighed in relief.

“Oh good! I was worried that you were having a stroke!”

“I’m 14, Lisia. That’s not likely.”

“14-year-olds can have strokes, you know!”

I wondered then why Lisia had called enough times to wake my Pokemon up. It couldn’t be because she wanted me to have that sudden trip down memory lane, or accuse me of having a stroke while on that trip.

“Oh, right, you’re probably wondering why I’m calling!” The girl smiled, revealing blindingly white teeth. “I just wanted to know if you were still in Slateport City.”

“Uh…” Why would she want to know that? “Just for the day. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, early.”

“Okay! Great!” she chirped, but said nothing more about that. “Well, I’ll talk to you later!”

I remembered to earlier in the call, before she’d realized I was in the room. Hadn’t she started to say something about Breloom? “Wait! How is Breloom, anyway?”

“Well…” she began again, seeming pensive, but then broke out into another large grin. “Breloom’s great! Ruby and the team made it to the top 16 of the League! He was amazing, but lost out to this guy named Alain.”

“Ah,” I sighed, trying not to seem too disappointed. I hoped absently that Ruby hadn’t taken his loss too hard.

“Oh, if you’re worried about Ruby…” Lisia slid into a slier grin then, not unlike one of Miette’s. Since when did she have that kind of reaction when talking about me and Ruby!?

“I-I’m not!”

“Well, but if you were,” she continued, the grin plastered onto her face, “He didn’t seem too upset. But he should be making his way to Hoenn soon, to battle Mr. Senri. Something about he promised someone he would. Or something.”

Mr. Senri… his father, the Petalburg Gym leader. So Ruby intended to make good on his end of the bargain, did he?

“Anyway, sorry Hoshi but I gotta jet! See ya soon!”

“Wait!” But Lisia hung up immediately after that. I had some other things I'd wanted to ask her, but mostly... I _missed_ the girl. Hard to believe, but some time travelling alone made me miss her presence, as chirpy, loud, and occasionally overbearing as it was.

I called all of my Pokemon into their Pokeballs, except for Spritzee and Pikachu, who both insisted on sitting on my shoulders. Whatever makes them happy, I guess. We made our way downstairs, and as I got ready to exit, Pikachu jumped off my shoulder and started running in a different direction.

“Hey!” I snapped, following the electric mouse Pokemon. But she didn’t run far before stopping right next to a girl’s leg. The girl wore a large-brimmed hat and a white sundress, but had no distinctive features other than that from behind.

“Pi, pika!” she chirped happily.

“Pikachu!” I exclaimed, Spritzee trailing behind me with a shout of its own. “Don’t just go up to random people! I’m sorry!”

“No need to be sorry!” The girl then bent down to Pikachu’s level, and said, “I missed you too, Pikachu!”

And as the girl in the sunhat turned to face me, I felt the color drain from my face. Wasn’t that…? She removed her sunglasses, and I was sure of the girl’s identity then. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or angry, so I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for the girl to explain herself.

“Oh, Hoshi, don’t be like that,” Lisia said, smiling. “Why else would I ask you if you were still in Slateport City? Duh.”

I sighed. Well, at least she was here now. “Hey, Lisia.” Then I realized… was she alone? “Where’s Ruby?”

“What? I don’t even get a how are you?” she complained, but didn’t seem upset. I didn’t answer, so she continued, “Fine, okay. Valid question. When Ruby and I decided to come back to Hoenn, I wanted to meet up with you, and I asked if he wanted to come, but he said no.”

“Really?” I hoped I didn’t sound as disappointed as I felt. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss the boy’s presence, but miss him I did.

“Yeah, he said something about a promise, and that he couldn’t see you yet,” she recalled, tapping one finger to her chin. “I’m guessing you know what that means?” I nodded. “Good, ‘cause that’s all I know. We just got here and he flew off on Tropius to somewhere. Probably Littleroot Town to see his family.”

“That makes sense,” I said. But something about what the girl had said so far bothered me… something didn’t make sense. “So, if you’re traveling with Ruby, why didn’t you go with him?”

“I have a proposal for you, Hoshiko.”

The seriousness in her voice startled me. Had she ever called me by that full name before?

“Yes?”

Lisia’s eyes sparked, and the intensity of it almost caused me to splutter _No!_ at whatever she might request. But I waited it out. Clearly this was something important to her.

“As you might know, I am called the Contest Spectacular Idol because I won all five Contest types at the Master Rank level, though I’ve never competed in the Grand Festival.” She paused for effect. “And I know you’re trying to figure out Contests again. I could tell from the one I watched.”

“Thanks…” I muttered, but Lisia didn’t seem to catch it.

“So, I wanted to ask…” She paused again, and started shaking a little. “I’ve never asked someone this before! I’m excited!”

“Just ask it already!” I snapped, getting impatient.

“Hoshiko Gateaux. Or, should I say… Astrid Ichinomiya.” Lisia balled her hands into fists, as she finally blurted:

“Can I be your mentor?”

I almost burst out laughing, but the girl was so serious I reined it in.

“I want to travel with you again! And I want to help you get to the Grand Festival! We won’t be competing this time, so I thought maybe…”

“I’d love that, Lisia,” I said, surprising the both of us.

The girl grinned, and grabbed me in a hug, her sunhat falling off. Her aquamarine hair bunched around her, and in one swift motion she picked up her hat and grabbed my hand.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s train, Hoshi! Or should I call you Astie, now?”

I didn’t answer her, somewhat lost in my own thoughts. Somewhere out there, Ruby continued on his adventure, preparing to take down his father in battle. Miette worked her way through Sinnoh, chasing her own dream of becoming the best. And here, right now, Lisia and I worked towards my dream to become Top Coordinator. What kinds of people would we meet? What rivals would I make along the way?

“Come on, Astie!” Lisia said, drawing the name out as if she were trying to get used to it. I didn’t respond, so she called more insistently, “Astie, hurry!”

Despite all my worries about the future, I could only ensure this present. So I gripped the girl’s hand in mine once again, and she turned to face me, her mouth slightly agape in shock from the affectionate action. 

“Right,” I said, my eyes fixed determinedly ahead. “It’s time for us to give it our all!”

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, wow. Like, actually, _wow_. This is by far the longest work I have ever created. So much love, energy, and passion went into this little project of mine, which I first saved as "pokemon fanfic ideas." When I wrote the prologue, I thought this would be yet another one of my unfinished ideas, but piece by piece it all came together. I am so grateful for the characters and the story they brought to life, and of course to those of you who gave my little project a shot. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And if the sequel I've had in my head for ages ever gets written, I'll see y'all then.
> 
> Love, Jennivieve


End file.
